Goat cheese
Goat cheese is cheese made wholly or partly from goat’s milk. It ranges from fresh, soft varieties to aged, firm cheeses.
Goat milk: Milk produced by domestic goats, used fresh or processed into dairy products. Its composition shapes the flavor, texture, and yield of goat cheese.
Cheese making: The process of turning milk into cheese through coagulation, curd treatment, drainage, and often aging. It encompasses the steps used to transform goat milk into cheese.
Chèvre: A French term for goat cheese, often used for fresh, soft cheeses made from goat’s milk. Fresh chèvre is a familiar style with a tangy flavor and spreadable texture.
Cow cheese: Cheese made wholly or partly from cow’s milk. Comparing milk sources highlights differences in flavor, composition, and common styles.
Cheese: A food made by coagulating milk and separating the resulting curds from whey. Goat cheese is one family within this broader class of foods.
Milk coagulation: The formation of a gel from milk proteins, usually through acidification, enzymes, or both. Coagulation creates the curd that is shaped into goat cheese.
Crottin de Chavignol: A small French goat cheese from the Loire Valley, sold at different stages of ripeness. Its changing texture and flavor illustrate how aging reshapes goat cheese.
Sheep cheese: Cheese made wholly or partly from sheep’s milk. Sheep-milk cheeses offer a useful comparison in richness and milk composition.
Rennet: A mixture of enzymes that coagulates milk, traditionally obtained from the stomachs of young ruminants. Many goat cheeses use it to form a firm curd.
Curd: The solid portion of coagulated milk, separated from liquid whey during cheese making. Cutting, draining, or pressing the curd sets the cheese’s moisture and structure.