Cheese Database

Charolais vs Crottin de Chavignol

Charolais

Facts

Milk
Goat
Texture
Soft
Rind
Natural rind
Country
France
Place
Charolais, France

Charolais is a soft goat's milk cheese from the Charolais area of France. It is formed as a tall drum, larger than many small goat cheeses, with a natural rind and a pale, tender interior. The rind may look beige at first and later show gray-blue mottling as surface molds develop. The paste tastes mildly goaty, nutty, and a little salty, with a clean lactic tang. It is a cheese for the board and the table, not a block for grating.

Crottin de Chavignol

Facts

Milk
Goat
Texture
Soft
Rind
Natural rind
Country
France
Place
Centre-Val de Loire

Crottin de Chavignol is a small goat's milk cheese from Centre-Val de Loire in France. Each piece is a short round with a thin natural rind. Young cheese is pale, soft, and mild, with a creamy center. Cheese kept longer turns drier, darker, and stronger in flavor. The name refers to that small rounded shape, which becomes more obvious as the outside dries and darkens.