Bushra Griffith
Chevre, or goat cheese, is a versatile cheese with a wide range of flavours, textures, and types, including different ages, moulds, and rinds. Chevre can refer to any goat cheese, whether young, semi-mature, or well-aged. The ageing process impacts the texture and flavour of the cheese, with young chevre requiring virtually no maturing, and rarer, aged varieties being matured for up to 12 weeks. Aged chevre will have a firmer and denser texture, and a darker colour, with a sharper and tarter flavour.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Goat cheese made from goat's milk |
| Synonyms | Chèvre, Caprino (Italian), Fromage de chèvre (French) |
| Origin | France, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Armenia, Venezuela, India, Philippines, USA, Spain |
| Texture | Soft, semi-soft, semi-hard, hard, crumbly, creamy, spreadable, floppy, smooth, slippery, velvety, sticky, runny |
| Flavor | Sweet, nutty, buttery, tangy, earthy, tart, grassy, mild, sharp, salty, lemony, piquant, intense |
| Color | Dark ivory, white, gray-blue, dark |
| Shape | Pyramid, log, drum, round |
| Rind | Bloomy, fluffy, wrinkly, brain-like, coated, waxed |
| Age | Young, semi-mature, well-aged, semi-aged, fully matured, slightly matured, aged for 5-10 weeks, aged for 3 weeks, aged for 8 weeks, aged for 20-40 days |
| Uses | Melting on pizza, mixing in soups, adding to Italian dishes, spreading on bread |
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What You'll Learn
- Chevre is a broad term for goat cheese, encompassing young, semi-mature, and well-aged varieties
- Aged chevre has a firmer, denser texture and a darker colour
- Flavour profiles of aged chevre are sharper, tarter, grassier, and earthier
- Examples of aged goat cheese include Bucheron, Capricious, and Caprino Stagionato
- Countries like France, Italy, and the USA are known for their aged goat cheeses
Chevre is a broad term for goat cheese, encompassing young, semi-mature, and well-aged varieties
Chevre, or chèvre, is a French term for goat cheese. It is a broad term that encompasses young, semi-mature, and well-aged goat cheese varieties. The ageing process of chevre influences its texture and flavour, with older cheeses developing a firmer and denser texture, and a sharper, tarter, grassier, and earthier flavour.
Young chevre, which requires minimal maturing, is the most common variety of chevre. It is known for its soft, tangy, and earthy flavour, and is often sold and served in a log shape. Classic examples of young chevre include Chavroux, a famous soft French goat cheese, and Caprino Fresco, a fresh and young Italian goat cheese.
Semi-mature chevre, such as Bûcheron, is ripened for around five to ten weeks and develops a bloomy rind. As it ages, its texture becomes softer, while its flavour becomes sharper and tarter, with more pronounced earthy undertones.
Well-aged chevre, such as Capricious, a goat's milk cheese from California, and Bucheron, a semi-mature goat cheese, can be matured for up to 12 weeks. Aged chevre has a firmer and denser texture, and its colour darkens from the rind towards the centre. The flavour of aged chevre is sharper and tarter, with more intense grassy and earthy notes.
The ageing process of chevre influences not only its texture and flavour but also its versatility. Young chevre is commonly used as a spread on bread or as a topping for pizzas and soups. Semi-mature chevre, with its firmer texture, can be used in Italian dishes, such as pasta sauces or risottos, or as a substitute for ricotta cheese in lasagna. Aged chevre, with its stronger flavour, can be enjoyed on its own or paired with honey, sliced pear, and walnuts.
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Aged chevre has a firmer, denser texture and a darker colour
Chevre is a term for traditional French goat's cheese. It can refer to any goat cheese, whether young, semi-mature, or well-aged. The ageing process affects the texture and flavour of the cheese. The longer chevre is aged, the firmer and denser its texture becomes. However, it will never become harder than semi-soft. The colour of aged chevre also darkens, starting from the rind and moving towards the centre.
Aged chevre has a sharper and tarter flavour than its younger counterparts. The grassiness and earthiness of the cheese become more intense. The rind of aged chevre also differs from that of fresh chevre, which never develops a rind. Harder variants of aged chevre have natural or waxed rinds, while those ripened with white mould are coated in a fluffy jacket, similar to Camembert or Brie.
Bucheron is an example of an aged goat cheese. It is typically matured between five and ten weeks and has a bloomy rind. The colour of Bucheron is dark ivory near the rind and white in the middle. The flavour is sharp and tart, with well-pronounced earthy undertones.
Caprino is the Italian equivalent of chevre, encompassing over 30 varieties of goat cheese made in Italy, from young and fresh to fully matured. Caprino Fresco is a fresh and young cheese similar to classic chevre, while Caprino Stagionato is aged for a short period, usually around 20-40 days.
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Flavour profiles of aged chevre are sharper, tarter, grassier, and earthier
Chevre, or goat cheese, is a versatile cheese with a range of flavour profiles that vary according to the age of the cheese. The flavour of aged chevre becomes sharper, tarter, grassier, and earthier.
Young chevre cheese requires little to no maturing, while rarer, aged varieties can be matured for up to 12 weeks. As chevre ages, its texture becomes firmer and denser, and its colour darkens, starting from the rind and moving towards the centre. The flavour profile of aged chevre is notably sharper and tarter than that of young chevre, with more intense grassy and earthy notes.
The process of ageing cheese influences its flavour and texture. The longer chevre is aged, the more its flavour and texture change. Young chevre is typically soft and spreadable, with a tangy, earthy flavour. As it ages, it develops a firmer texture and a more intense flavour profile.
The flavour of aged chevre is influenced by the diet of the goats that produced the milk. Goats have hardy digestive systems, allowing them to consume bitter plants that other animals cannot. This results in milk with a distinct flavour that translates into the cheese. The longer ageing process of aged chevre intensifies these flavours, resulting in a sharper, tarter, grassier, and earthier taste.
Aged chevre has a unique flavour profile that sets it apart from younger chevre. The ageing process enhances the natural flavours of the goat's milk, resulting in a cheese with a complex and intense flavour. The longer maturation period allows the flavours to develop and intensify, creating a sharper, tarter, grassier, and earthier taste experience.
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Examples of aged goat cheese include Bucheron, Capricious, and Caprino Stagionato
Chevre is a French term for goat cheese, which can refer to any goat cheese, whether young, semi-mature, or well-aged. The process of ageing goat cheese leads to changes in texture and flavour. Aged chevre cheese will have a firmer and denser texture, and the colour will get darker, starting from the rind and moving towards the centre.
Caprino is the Italian equivalent of chevre, encompassing over 30 varieties of goat cheese, from young and fresh to fully matured. The two major styles of caprino are fresco ("fresh") and stagionato ("aged"). Examples of aged goat cheese include Bucheron, Capricious, and Caprino Stagionato:
Bucheron
Bucheron is a type of aged goat cheese, typically matured between 5 and 10 weeks. It has a bloomy rind and a dark ivory colour near the rind, with a white centre. As it ages, it becomes softer, and its flavour becomes sharper and tarter, with well-pronounced earthy undertones.
Capricious
Capricious is an aged goat's milk cheese made by the Achadinha Cheese Company in Petaluma, California.
Caprino Stagionato
Caprino Stagionato is usually aged for 20-40 days, although it can be aged for longer depending on the region. The ageing process gives the cheese a saltier and tangier flavour, and it develops a thin, yellow or reddish rind. Caprino is typically produced with a combination of cow's and goat's milk, although some varieties, such as Caprino di Rimella and Caprino Ossolano, are made with 100% raw goat's milk.
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Countries like France, Italy, and the USA are known for their aged goat cheeses
Chevre, or goat cheese, is produced using goat milk, the milk of domestic goats. Countries like France, Italy, and the USA are known for their aged goat cheeses, with each country offering a wide range of choices.
France
French goat cheeses are anything but uniform—they represent diverse regions, styles, textures, and tastes. They can be made from either raw or pasteurized milk, and they can be crumbly or creamy, young or aged. France produces over 265 million pounds of goat cheese each year, with 3000 producers and 60 dairies. The country has the widest variety of goat cheeses, with many different shapes, textures, and flavors. For example, the rustic Crottin de Chavignol from Berry in the Loire Valley has a tangy, sharp flavor that becomes drier and more intense with age. Other popular varieties of aged French goat cheese include Tomme de Chèvre, Bleu de Chèvre, and Bûcherondin.
Italy
Italy also offers a wide range of goat cheeses, with over 30 varieties of Caprino, the Italian equivalent of Chevre. Caprino cheese is typically divided into two types: Caprino Fresco, the fresh and young cheese similar to classic Chevre, and Caprino Stagionato, the cheese that has been aged for a short period, usually around 20-40 days.
USA
The USA is known for its aged goat cheeses, such as Humboldt Fog, created by a California-based company called Cypress Grove. This cheese is likely the most famous goat cheese in the USA, aside from generic fresh Chevre cheese.
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Frequently asked questions
Chevre, or Chèvre, is a term for traditional French goat's cheese. It comes in many different flavours and textures, from crumbly to creamy, young to mature, mild to tangy.
Classic young Chevre cheese requires no maturing, while aged varieties can be matured for up to 12 weeks. The further the cheese is aged, the more its texture and flavours change. Aged Chevre will have a firmer and denser texture and a darker colour.
Mature Chevre cheese has a sharper and tarter flavour, with more intense grassiness and earthiness.
