Patrick Oconnell
Goat and sheep cheese has been made for thousands of years and is still extremely popular in countries where dairy cows are uncommon. Sheep's milk cheeses are often fatty and sweet, with tasting notes of candy corn, sweet cream, and a waxy lanolin flavour that can taste like wool. Goat's milk cheeses generally fall into one of two categories: limestone-y and citrusy, or musky and barnyardy. Some popular sheep's milk cheeses include Spanish Manchego, Italian Pecorino, Greek Feta, and French Brebisrousse.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Taste | Sheep's milk cheese can be earthy, sweet, tangy, briny, caramel-ly, butterscotchy, or intensely gamey. Goat's milk cheese can be citrusy or musky and barnyardy. |
| Texture | Sheep's milk cheese is often creamier due to its high fat content. |
| Examples | Sheep's milk cheese: Manchego, Pecorino, Feta, Brebisrousse. Goat's milk cheese: Chèvre, Chevre |
| Availability | Seasonally-produced sheep's milk cheese is only available for a limited time due to the natural lactation cycle of sheep. |
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What You'll Learn
- Sheep's milk cheese has a distinct taste and texture, with higher fat content
- Goat's milk cheese generally has a more earthy taste and comes in many varieties
- Popular sheep's milk cheeses include Manchego, Pecorino, and Feta
- Goat's milk cheese can be divided into two categories: limestone/citrus and musky
- Sheep's milk cheese is seasonal and produced within a limited time frame
Sheep's milk cheese has a distinct taste and texture, with higher fat content
Sheep's milk has a higher fat content than cow's or goat's milk. It contains nearly twice the solids (fat and protein) of cow or goat milk. The fat content of sheep's milk plays a crucial role in its flavour, texture, and creaminess. It has a very subtle, almost sweet flavour that isn't too dissimilar from cow's milk and is milder in taste than goat's milk. The creaminess makes it an excellent ingredient for making cheese, yoghurt, and other dairy products.
Sheep's milk cheese has a distinct taste and texture, with a higher fat content. The flavour ranges from subtle and approachable, with an undercurrent of sweetness, to tart and briny, to caramelly and butterscotchy, to piquant and intensely gamey. The texture can be sticky and decadent, like a French Brie, or hard and chunky. The high fat content means that sheep's milk cheeses should be handled with care. When left out at room temperature for half an hour or more, they start to sweat liquid butterfat, which can cause the edges to turn dry and waxy.
The taste of sheep's milk cheese will also depend on the type of cheese, the region it's from, and the diet of the sheep. For example, Manchego from Spain, Pecorino from Italy, and Feta from Greece all have distinct flavours, despite all being made from sheep's milk. The diet of the sheep can also impact the flavour of the cheese. For instance, the grass-fuelled milk from Many Fold Farm in Rivertown has a savoury complexity with big tastes of mushroom and garlic.
In addition to flavour, the higher fat content of sheep's milk cheese also affects the texture. Sheep's milk cheese is often described as having a rich and creamy mouthfeel due to the higher fat content. This creaminess makes it a desirable option for producing speciality dairy products such as artisanal cheeses and yoghurts. It also makes it an excellent ingredient for baking.
Sheep's milk cheese has been made for thousands of years and is still extremely popular in countries where dairy cows are not commonly raised. It offers a unique taste and texture profile that sets it apart from cow's and goat's milk cheeses. The higher fat content contributes to its distinct characteristics, making it a favourite among cheese connoisseurs.
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Goat's milk cheese generally has a more earthy taste and comes in many varieties
Goat's milk cheese can be aged, soft, or fresh. Fresh goat's milk cheese, also known as Chevre, has a strong flavor. Aged goat's milk cheese, on the other hand, can develop a more complex flavor profile, ranging from nutty and earthy to rich and buttery. It often lacks the acidity of fresh Chevre, resulting in a milder taste. Examples of aged goat's milk cheese include Gouda, Cheddar, and Manchego.
Goat's milk cheese has a naturally tangier and fresher taste than cow's milk cheese due to differences in the breakdown of protein and fat, as well as the type of fat found in goat's milk. This distinction gives goat's milk cheese its unique flavor profile. One example of goat's milk cheese is Drunken Goat, which is semi-firm and has a fruity flavor. Another is Ticklemore, a floral and herbaceous cheese from Devon, England, with a distinctive saucer shape.
Goat's milk cheese comes in several varieties, including blue goat cheese, which is made by mixing blue mold into the curds. As it ages, the flavor intensifies, becoming sharper, earthier, and more pungent than cow's milk cheese. Brie goat cheese is another variety that is milder and more refreshing than cow's milk Brie. It has a creamy texture with a slight citrus tang.
In addition to these, there are numerous other types of goat's milk cheese, such as goat Gouda, produced exclusively in Holland, which is sweet and delicious with caramel overtones. Tomme goat cheese is a variety made only in France, but U.S. cheesemakers are also creating tomme-style goat cheese. Goat's milk cheese offers a diverse range of flavors and textures, providing a unique and enjoyable culinary experience.
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Popular sheep's milk cheeses include Manchego, Pecorino, and Feta
Sheep's milk cheeses have a higher butterfat and protein content than cow's or goat's milk cheeses, giving them a rich, "sheepy" or "gamy" flavour. However, they can encompass a range of flavours, from sweet nuttiness to roasty savoriness.
Manchego, one of the best-known sheep milk cheeses, is a firm, pliant cheese with a relatively mild character. It is made from the milk of Manchega sheep in Spain's La Mancha region.
Pecorino is another popular Italian sheep milk cheese. It includes varieties such as Pecorino Romano, Pecorino Sardo, Pecorino Siciliano, and Pecorino Toscano.
Feta is a Greek sheep milk cheese made from either primarily sheep's milk or a blend of sheep and goat's milk. It is formed into blocks that crumble easily into salads or flaky pastries.
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Goat's milk cheese can be divided into two categories: limestone/citrus and musky
Goat and sheep milk cheeses usually have a slightly earthier taste than cow's milk cheeses. Goat's milk cheeses can be divided into two categories: limestone/citrus and musky. Younger goat cheeses tend to be more limestone/citrusy, while aged goat cheeses develop more complex, musky notes.
Goat's milk has less of a protein called casein, which causes many goat cheeses to be drier and crumblier than cow's or sheep's milk cheeses. However, this does not mean you cannot make a good melting cheese out of goat's milk. A high-moisture goat cheddar or gouda can melt just fine.
Some common goat cheeses include fresh chèvre, which is the most ubiquitous goat cheese in the United States, and goat manchego and pecorino, which are popular in Spain and Italy, respectively.
Sheep's milk cheeses, on the other hand, are known for being fatty and sweet. They have the highest fat content of the three main types of milk (cow, goat, and sheep), which often results in creamier cheese. Some primary tasting notes in sheep's milk cheeses are candy corn, sweet cream, and a waxy lanolin flavour that tastes a bit like wool. Nancy's Camembert, for example, derives much of its creaminess from fatty sheep's milk.
Goat's and sheep's milk cheeses are more expensive than cow's milk cheeses because goat's and sheep's milk are more expensive. Cows produce much more milk per animal per day than goats and sheep, so there is simply more cow's milk on the market.
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Sheep's milk cheese is seasonal and produced within a limited time frame
Sheep's milk has a longer history in cheesemaking than cow's milk, as sheep have been milked for human consumption for thousands of years. Sheep's milk also has nearly twice the fat and protein content of cow or goat milk, resulting in a rich texture and higher yield for cheesemaking.
The seasonal nature of sheep's milk cheese means that the taste and texture can vary across different production seasons. For example, spring wheels of cheese may offer a strawberry shortcake flavour, while fall wheels might have a lamby taste.
Additionally, sheep's milk cheese produced in different regions can exhibit distinct characteristics due to variations in the sheep's diet and the cheesemaking process. For instance, Italian pecorinos tend to be firm and salty, while French Pyrenees Brebis, Brebirousse d'Argental, and Brebicet are named after the French word for sheep, "brebis".
The seasonality of sheep's milk cheese also influences its availability, with certain varieties being more accessible during specific times of the year. This limited production window contributes to the specialty and uniqueness of sheep's milk cheese, making it a sought-after delicacy for cheese enthusiasts.
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Frequently asked questions
Some examples of goat's milk cheese include Chevre, Greek feta, and Goat Manchego.
Some examples of sheep's milk cheese include Italian pecorino, Spanish manchego, French Brebisrousse, and English cheese from Many Fold Farm.
The flavour of a cheese primarily depends on its style, but there are some common tasting notes for each milk type. Goat's milk cheese can be either limestone-y and citrusy or musky and barnyardy. Sheep's milk cheese is often described as fatty and sweet, with tasting notes of candy corn, sweet cream, and a waxy lanolin flavour that can taste like wool.
