View source for Crottin de Chavignol

{{short description|French goat cheese}}
{{Infobox cheese
| name = Crottin de Chavignol
| image = [[Image:Crottin 02.jpg|250px]]
| othernames =
| country = [[France]]
| regiontown = [[Loire]], [[Chavignol, France|Chavignol]]
| region =
| town =
| source = [[Goat]]
| pasteurised = No
| texture = Soft-ripened, crumbly
| fat =
| protein =
| dimensions = 
| weight =
| aging = At least 4 weeks
| certification = French [[Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée|AOC]] 1976<ref name="Magali 2014">{{cite book | last=Magali | first=P. | title=Le guide de l'éleveur de chèvres : De la maîtrise à l'optimisation du système de production | publisher=Lavoisier | year=2014 | isbn=978-2-7430-6569-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o4s-AwAAQBAJ | language=fr | access-date=13 Apr 2021 | page=10}}</ref>
}}
'''Crottin de Chavignol''' ({{IPA|fr|kʁɔtɛ̃ də ʃaviɲɔl|-|LL-Q150 (fra)-Lyokoï-crottin de Chavignol.wav}}) is a [[goat cheese]] produced in the [[Loire Valley]].<ref>Detailed at [http://www.cheese.com/crottin-de-chavignol/ cheese.com] resource.</ref> 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 the earliest extant written record dates from 1829 when its name and brief details of the cheese were recorded by a tax inspector.<ref>See history of the cheese on the local [http://www.tourisme-sancerre.com/main.php?p=9&lang=uk tourist board] website.</ref>

The etymology is dubious: the word ''crot'' described a small oil lamp made from burned clay, which resembles the mould used to prepare the cheese. Another explanation is that old Crottin gets harder and browner and tends to look like [[Feces|dung]], the French word for an animal dropping being ''crotte''.

==Quality control==
Protected by the AOC Seal,<ref name="Magali 2014"/> Crottin de Chavignol is produced today with traditional methods. If a cheese is labelled "Crottin de Chavignol", it has to be from the area around Chavignol, and it has to meet the stringent AOC production criteria.

==Flavour and age==
[[Image:Fromagerie in Chavignol.jpg|thumb|Retail shop of one of Chavignol's two cheese makers]]
[[Image:crottin_cheese.jpg|left|thumb| As it ripens (''Chavignol bleuté''), it takes on a stronger flavour and develops a harder rind.]]
Crottin de Chavignol is subtle and slightly nutty. In its youth (''Chavignol jeune''), its dough is solid and compact, and its rind is white. As it ripens (''Chavignol bleuté''), it takes on a stronger flavour and develops a harder rind. With full maturity (''Chavignol affiné''), the dough becomes crumbly and the mould on the rind matures into a bluish colour. The cheese is marketed and eaten at all three stages of maturity.<ref>See Chavignol's own [http://www.crottindechavignol.fr marketing] website.</ref>

==Recipes==
A classic dish is baked Crottin de Chavignol on a green salad. The dish is said to go well with a [[Sancerre (wine)|Sancerre]] wine from its home region.<ref>Wine recommendation on [http://www.cheese-france.com/cheese/crottin_chavignol.htm cheese-France] website.</ref> Although commonly served as a baked starter, Chavignol is also often found cold as a component element of a cheese board selection.

==See also==
* [[List of goat milk cheeses]]

==References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}

{{br}}
{{French cheeses}}

[[Category:French cheeses]]
[[Category:French products with protected designation of origin]]
[[Category:Goat's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union]]