Bushra Griffith
Goat cheese, also known as chèvre, is a variety of cheese made from goat's milk. Chevre culture is a type of bacteria that ferments the lactose in goat's milk, producing lactic acid and giving goat cheese its distinctive tangy taste and creamy texture. The process of making goat cheese involves filtering the milk, adding a curdling agent, moulding and separating the cheese from the whey, and then moulding, drying, flavouring, and curing the curds. Goat cheese has been consumed worldwide for a long time, especially in France, and has gained popularity in the United States in recent decades.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common names | Chevre, Chèvre, Le Fromage de Chèvre, goat feta |
| Texture | Soft, spreadable, creamy |
| Taste | Tangy, rich, salty |
| Color | White |
| Lactose content | Low |
| Fat content | Low |
| Common production locations | France, Japan, Armenia, Philippines, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Middle East, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Romania, Albania, Greece, Israel, Lebanon |
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What You'll Learn
Chevre culture
Goat cheese has a long history, with evidence of its production dating back at least 5,000 years. Goats were one of the first animals to be domesticated for food production, and they continue to be valuable in arid or mountainous regions where other livestock cannot survive. Goat milk is nutrient-rich and easier to digest than cow's milk, making it a healthy addition to a balanced diet when consumed in moderation.
The process of making Chevre involves warming goat milk and adding both bacteria culture and powdered rennet. The culture converts the milk's lactose into lactic acid, giving Chevre its distinctive tang, while the rennet acts as a coagulant to set the cheese. The curds (solidified milk protein) separate from the whey (liquid) during this process and are then scooped out and strained, resulting in a thick, creamy, white goat cheese.
The texture and flavour of Chevre vary with age and other factors, such as the breed of goat, diet, climate, and altitude. Young, fresh Chevre is white, moist, and mild, while aged Chevre darkens, dries, and becomes more crumbly and tangy. Chevre can be found in various shapes, sizes, and textures, offering a wide range of flavours.
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Goat cheese in the US
Goat cheese, or chèvre, is a fresh, rindless goat's milk cheese that can be found in grocery stores, artisanal cheese shops, and farmers' markets in the US. While goat milk and goat cheese consumption have a long history worldwide, especially in France, goat cheese is a relatively recent addition to the US, with its introduction often credited to Laura Chenel of Sonoma, California, in 1979. Chenel is known for bringing high-quality, domestic goat cheese to Americans using techniques she learned in France.
Goat's milk cheese has a distinctive flavour and is easily identifiable due to its white colour. This colour results from the absence of beta carotene in goat's milk, as goats convert more beta carotene into vitamin A to support their more active lifestyle. Goat cheese is also the lowest in natural fat content among commonly used animal milk for cheesemaking and has a lower lactose content than most cow's milk cheese, making it a suitable option for those with lactose intolerance.
In the US, dozens of dairies and creameries are dedicated to producing goat's milk cheese, with a presence in nearly every state where cheese is produced. One notable example is Humboldt Fog, crafted by Mary Keens at Cypress Grove Chevre in California during the 1980s. This cheese has a clean, lemony, lactic taste that evolves into earthier and mustier flavours as it ages. It is characterised by a pillowy bloomy rind and a bright white, smooth paste bisected with a thin line of black vegetable ash.
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Goat cheese colour
Goat cheese is predominantly white or off-white in colour, in contrast to the yellow hue characteristic of cow's milk cheese. This difference in the colour of goat and cow's milk cheese is due to the varying levels of beta-carotene present in the milk of these animals. Beta-carotene is a type of carotenoid, a natural pigment found in plants, especially those with deep orange or yellow colours such as carrots and grass. Cows consume these plants as part of their diet, and the pigment is absorbed and accumulated in their milk-producing glands, giving cow's milk its yellow colour.
Goats, on the other hand, fully digest and convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, which is colourless. This results in their milk being white, and consequently, the cheese made from it also takes on a white or off-white appearance. Additionally, the proteins in goat's milk, particularly caseins and whey proteins, have unique structures that affect how they interact with light. These proteins are dispersed in a way that scatters light, preventing any specific colour from dominating. The smaller and more evenly distributed fat globules in goat's milk also contribute to this scattering effect, leading to the uniform distribution of light and the consistent white colour of goat cheese.
The colour of cheese is influenced not only by the composition of the milk but also by added ingredients, such as herbs, dyes, or spices, and the fermentation process during maturation. The longer the cheese matures, the more intense its colour can become. Maintaining a consistent colour in cheese production is important for quality and recognisability. This is achieved through precise control of factors such as temperature, maturation time, and the diet of the milk-producing animals, which can influence the colour of the milk and cheese.
While goat cheese is typically white, there are some varieties that deviate from this colour. For example, Brunost, a Norwegian goat cheese, is brown in colour, and some goat cheeses may have a light-coloured rind or skin. Additionally, some cheeses made with a combination of goat and cow's milk, such as Castello Branco from Portugal, may have a close-to-white colour.
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Goat cheese flavour
Goat's milk cheeses are easily identifiable due to their white colour, which is caused by the presence or absence of beta carotene in the milk. Goats tend to convert more beta carotene into vitamin A, which is used as a healing agent, due to their active lifestyle. This means less beta carotene is passed into their milk, resulting in a white colour.
Goat cheese, or chèvre, is known for its tangy flavour, which comes from the higher levels of caproic and caprylic acid in goat's milk. These fatty acids also make goat's milk easier to digest for those with lactose intolerance. Goat cheese can also have a grassy flavour, which some people associate with the smell of goats. This is caused by mishandling of the milk, such as temperature inconsistencies or physical agitation, or the presence of an intact buck on the property with the milking does.
Goat cheese comes in a wide range of flavours, from sweet to herbaceous to savoury. Examples of flavoured goat cheeses include Emporium Selection Goat Cheese Blueberry Vanilla, Emporium Selection Goat Cheese Cranberry Cinnamon, and Emporium Selection Goat Cheese Honey. Some people prefer plain goat cheese, such as that produced by Laura Chenel, which can be used as a base for flavoured cheeses.
Goat cheese can also be used in recipes such as mac and cheese, or spread on a burger or lamb burger bun. It can also be served on a cheese board or charcuterie plate, or on toast with avocado or smoked salmon for a fancy brunch.
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Goat cheese production
Goat cheese, or Chevre cheese, is a simple and cost-effective cheese to make at home. The process is straightforward and requires only a few ingredients.
To begin, you'll need to filter the goat's milk to remove any impurities or deposits. It is best to use full-fat, pasteurized goat's milk, and avoid ultra-pasteurized or ultra-homogenized milk as it won't curdle in the same way. You can use raw goat's milk if you're able to source it, but it is recommended to pasteurize it first for safety reasons.
Once you have your milk, bring it to room temperature and add a culture and a few drops of rennet. Give it a quick stir, cover the pot, and set it aside for 18-24 hours. This process allows the milk to coagulate, forming curds. After this, drain the curds in a butter muslin-lined colander.
The next steps involve molding, drying, and curing the cheese. You can also add flavorings at this stage, such as salt or dried herbs. The type of starter, draining time, pressure, temperature, and curing duration will all impact the final texture and flavor of your goat cheese.
Goat cheese is a versatile product with a variety of serving suggestions. It can be spread on toast, bagels, or croissants, crumbled over salads, mixed into pasta sauces, or used as a pizza topping. It typically lasts for about a week in the fridge, so it's best to use it within this timeframe.
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Frequently asked questions
Chevre, or Chèvre, is a French variety of goat's milk cheese. Young Chèvre is creamy and spreadable, while aged Chèvre becomes more firm and dense.
Chevre is derived from the French word "chevre" or "le fromage de chevre", which means "the cheese of the goat".
Goat cheese culture refers to the process of fermenting the lactose in goat milk to produce lactic acid, which gives goat cheese its distinctive tang.
Goat cheese has a tangy character due to the higher levels of certain fatty acids in goat's milk, such as caproic and caprylic acid.
The process of making goat cheese involves filtering the milk to remove impurities, adding a curdling agent such as rennet or starter bacteria, moulding and separating the curds from the whey, and then drying, flavouring, and curing the cheese.
