Crottin de Chavignol is the most famous goat cheese

Cheese

Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....

 of the many varieties produced in the Loire Valley

Loire Valley

The Loire Valley , spanning , is located in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. Its area comprises approximately . It is referred to as the Cradle of the French Language, and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards, and artichoke, asparagus, and...

. This cheese is the claim to fame for the village of Chavignol, France, which has only two hundred inhabitants.

History

The small cylindrical goat cheese from the area around Chavignol has been produced since the 16th century, but it wasn't until 1829 that it was first written about.
The etymology is dubious: the word "Crot" described a small oil lamp made from burned clay, which resembles the mold used to prepare the cheese. Another explanation is that old "Crottin" gets harder and browner and tends to look like dung

Feces

Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...

, the French word for an animal dropping being "crotte".

Quality control

Protected by the AOC Seal, Crottin de Chavignol is produced today with traditional methods. If a cheese is found at a cheese counter labeled "Crottin", it is of the Crottin type, but to be labeled "Crottin de Chavignol", it has to be from the area around Chavignol, and it has to meet the stringent AOC production criteria.

Flavour

The flavour of Crottin de Chavignol is subtle and slightly nutty. In its youth, its dough is solid and compact, and its rind is white. As it ripens, the dough becomes crumbly and the mould on the rind matures into a bluish colour. The bluish colour doesn't mean that the cheese is no longer edible - quite the opposite.

Recipes

A classic dish is baked Crottin de Chavignol on a green salad. The dish is said to go well with a Sancerre

Sancerre (wine)

Sancerre is a French wine Appellation d'origine contrôlée for wine produced in the environs of Sancerre in the eastern part of the Loire valley, southeast of Orléans. Almost all of the appellation lies on the left bank of the Loire, opposite Pouilly-Fumé. It is well regarded for and primarily...

 wine from its home region.

A non-AOC imitation called "Crottin de Champcol" is also available.