Goat Cheese 101
Everything you need to know!
Goat cheese is a contentious cheese, some believe it tastes too gamey or like a barnyard… It frustrates me to my core when I hear people say they don’t like goat cheese. If you fall into this category, that’s perfectly okay! You simply need to find the right goat cheese that’s perfect for you and your tastebuds. There are so many different kinds - dry and crumbly, silky and buttery, gooey and stinky, light and fresh… It’s feasible, I promise. Regardless of your flavor preference, here is a recipe for my favorite jam to pair with goat cheese!
French Origins
Also known as fromage de chèvre (goat cheese in French, go figure), this cheese is a bit acidic, bright and tangy. While it is known to have originated in France, specifically in the Loire Valley, it had to get here somehow right? Turns out, in the 8th century the saracens, Arabs that had settled in Spain, were pushed upwards into France. Once there, they settled in Poitiers (the Loire Valley) for a short period and then were pushed out again. This time, they left not only their goats but also their recipes to make goat cheese. Since then, even though goat cheese is made in different French regions, this river heavy locale is home to the most renowned kinds including 5 AOPs.
AOP, Appellation d'Origine Protégée, translates to PDO, or Protected Designation of Origin in English. It is a guarantee that a product (olive oil, wine, cheese etc) is produced locally from the hands of artisan. In the world of goat cheese, this simply means that with an AOP, this goat cheese has to be from a specific region and made in a certain way. It ensures the upmost quality and the highlighting of a specific terroir. If these rules aren’t respected, the producer can be faced with not only heft fines but also jail time. Today there is a total of 15 AOP goat cheeses. You can find all AOP cheese here!
Nowadays, only 18% of French goat cheese is exported. Although it could be more, but it’s such a big part of our cuisine that we keep a lot for ourselves. There are even regulations to ensure that we have keep most of the supply nationally.
Cow’s v Goat’s Milk
Let’s get back to the flavor of goat cheese which all starts with the milk. While I could get into why goat’s milk is healthier than cow’s milk, I won’t because honestly that’s boring and whatever just drink whatever milk floats your boat. In general, there is very little lactose in cheese but as humans we digest goat milk better than cow milk. You may have noticed that goat cheese is also often times bright white. This is because goats can process beta carotene unlike cows! This results in a whiter, less yellow cheese than cow’s milk cheese.
Seasons also play a big role in goat cheese production. At the end of spring, throughout summer and at the very beginning of autumn, goats will provide more milk. However, during winter there will be less milk, and thus, less cheese. The richness of milk also changes throughout the year as when goats have babies, the milk is richer. Further, the food they eat can also impact the richness! For example, if there is lots of greenery outdoors for the goats to feed on, they will be more hydrated and thus, their cheese will have a fresher taste.
You may have noticed that goat cheese comes in smaller “parcels” than cow’s milk but can be pricier. This isn’t an aesthetic choice of the producer, but rather a necessity. Each goat only produces around 3L of milk a day whereas cows produce around 20L daily! Good things come in small packages…
The size of a cheese simply affects its time of affinage, its aging period. The smaller it is, the less time it will need. Cheese ages from the outside in so even a cheese with a crust can be gooey on the inside. The more it’s aged, the pricier it will be.
More time = more caring for.
Taste Differences & Guidelines
Age determines texture and flavor.
Fresh - soft, light in flavor, less than a week of affinage
Medium - more crumbly, tangier, around a week or more of affinage
Aged - gooey interior, mushroomy, stronger flavor, around 2 weeks of affinage
Pungency: Cheese made with raw milk is more pungent and distinct - a producer will want to show off his or her goats and their milk!
You can and should always eat the rind - the cheesemaker expects you to, it’s part of the flavor!
Contrary to popular belief, ash actually does not change the flavor of a cheese. Most of the ash used nowadays is vegetable based so it doesn’t actually impart any additional flavor. Its use is both aesthetic and also as an agent to neutralize certain acids in the cheese for aging purposes.
Different Shapes
Shapes most often are determined by the region’s specific tradition and how a producer once chose to form their cheese hundreds of years ago. If we look into each specific cheese, you can find out a lot about its history and the anecdotes are perfect and rogue topics of conversations for any dinner party. Here is an inside look to a few of my favorite goat cheeses:
Valençay: this flat pyramid shaped goat cheese may have the best history of them all. While there are 2 reasonings as to why it is molded in this way, the story begins the same way. Valençay used to resemble a point pyramid until Napoleon’s defeat in Egypt…
After Napoleon’s unsuccessful campaign in Egypt, one of his ministers decided to cut the top of this pyramid shaped cheese and make it flat as to not upset him upon his return to France.
Another story goes that Napoleon himself cut the top of this cheese when he returned to France as he was offended that a cheese could remind him of his loss.
Designated as an AOP in 1998: can be produced in Indre, Indre et Loire, Loir et Cher and Cher regions only.
Raw and whole milk, salted, ashy, can be eaten beginning the 11th day of aging.
Sainte Maure de Touraine
This cylindrical cheese has a straw in the middle for no reason other than structure! When a cheese is in this shape is so young and fresh, it will break so the straw is literally just for structural integrity. Fun though tbh.
Designated as an AOP in 1990, each straw has a logo inside to prove its legitimacy.
Ashy, salted, can be eaten soft, aged and very aged.
Banon
AOP This cheese can be recognized easily as it is surrounded by chestnut leaves. Originally from Provence, each cheese was wrapped by hand to prolong conservation. This goat cheese was first sold at the market in Banon which is where its name comes from!
Soft, raw cheese, around 7cm, mild, milky, nutty. The older it gets more the flavor of the leaf gets infused in the cheese
AOP newby! Designated in 2003.
Crottin
Any French person will laugh reading this. It is named after the shape… There are 2 reasonings: either it’s named after horse poop or it’s named after the word crot which means hole in the old French Berrichon dialect.
This cheese can range from somewhat dry, only aged for 10 days to blue and mouldy after a month. It can be eaten on its own but is also often used in cooking to make gratins.
Don’t Like Goat Cheese?
I can assure you, there are several gateway goat cheeses, as I like to call them, that you may enjoy. French people eat ~ 2 kg of goat cheese a year, so as a French national I can promise you that there are so many different flavors and textures of goat cheese for you to choose from. Below I’ve listed some reasons why you may dislike goat cheese, and the contrasting cheese of choice you may enjoy.
Flavor
Fleurette: smooth and mild
Texture
Tomme de chèvre: wash rind cheese from the pyrenees. It’s more pungent, and the texture is “squeakier” which is always unexpected from a goat cheese.
Pairing
Le Chèvre aux figues: if you don’t like eating goat cheese on its own, there are several that have added flavors. Goat with added fig is my top choice for those still skeptical about the flavor as the sweetness from the fruit can alleviate the flavor.
My two personal favorites are Sainte Maure & Rocamadour. Turns out Rocamadour even got its AOP the year of my birth so that may have to be #1 from now on.
How to keep it?
Keep it in the wrapper it comes in in your fridge. This wrap is important because the paper it’s usually wrapped in is porous so it allows it to breathe! If it’s wrapped in plastic you can leave the plastic but keep it in the veg drawer in your fridge because a cheese can dry out.
How to serve it
Make sure to remove your cheese from the fridge an hour before serving to allow the flavors to develop and for the temperate to regulate. This is why people own cheese boxes! In my family we take all of our cheese out when making dinner so by the time we get to the cheese course (after mains and before dessert), the cheese is soft and ready to enjoy!
Nowadays older people are retiring so the number of cheese producers is also diminishing. This sad fact is a reality we’re facing so make sure to buy from your local vendors if you can and help support them, their families, and their goats!
You can find my perfect pairing Sancerre jam recipe here as well as my goat milk caramel, boozy cajeta here!
I love reading your blogs like they’re my morning paper. This one rocked!
okay FINE I'll try it!
Also, have you ever tried making your own stuffed cheeses? I know lots of ldn places make their own truffled brie (e.g they do a truffle mascarpone vibe centre). I'd LOVE a range of DIY stuffed claire cheese / a guide on how to do it!