C – Crottin de Chavignol

Ingredients A–Z: A World of Flavour, One Ingredient at a Time

Part of the Ingredients A–Z series → C

🧀 One cheese. Two lives

C – The A-Z of Ingredients Food Cooking and People

Crottin de Chavignol

🧀 Crottin de Chavignol is a celebrated French goat’s milk cheese. It originates from the village of Chavignol in the Loire Valley 🇫🇷. It is considered one of France’s oldest and most respected chèvres. It has been made for centuries. Traditionally, it is produced during the warmer months when goats graze on fresh pasture 🌿.

🐐 The cheese takes its name from the word crottin, meaning “small earthenware pot,” reflecting its distinctive small, round shape. Each cheese weighs just a couple of ounces, yet delivers remarkable character. In its young form, Crottin de Chavignol is soft, moist, and gently nutty. It has a clean, milky freshness. This pairs beautifully with crisp white wines 🍷.

⏳ As the cheese ages, it becomes firmer and drier, developing a powerful, sharp flavour and a more pronounced aroma. Historically, farmers preserved surplus cheeses by drying them through winter. They sometimes steeped them in local white wine. This practice intensified both flavour and longevity 🍇.

🧀 Crottin de Chavignol transforms through time. Its fresh stage is delicate. Over time, it becomes bold and brittle. Each stage offers a completely different tasting experience.