from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Different ages of Crottin de Chavignol AOP
and stage in its production.
(N.B. Crottin de Chavignol is pronounced krotan
de chavinol)
Photograph courtesy
of Sunny Ripert
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sunfox/4613789795/
The Crottin de Chavignol.
The Crottin de Chavignol is an excellent, creamy, when young, 32% fat, goats’ milk cheese made with unpasteurized milk. The minimum permitted aging is ten days, and from then on, the cheese is sold with varying degrees of maturity, some as long as three months or more. The youngest cheeses are mild and may be served warm in salads. The young cheese has a white rind, and as the cheese matures, the rind takes on a bluish tinge that cheese lovers look for. When aged for three or more months, the cheese will be crumbly and will have developed its distinctive taste with a kick. The smallest of these cheeses weighs just 60 grams (2.10 ounces) and is about 5cm (2”) wide by 2.5 cm high (1”)
The goats of Chavignol.
Photograph courtesy
of JPC24M
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cjp24/16666609732/
The village of Chavignol is set in a very active neighborhood; to begin with, it is just 3.7 km (2.25 miles) away from the town of Sancerre, so famous for its excellent wines. All around are villages that are active in cheese making, running snail farms, wine-making, and other artisan food industries. Administratively Chavignol has been recognized as part of Sancerre, so I expect that over the years, Chavignol, with its less than 300 inhabitants, will have become a Sancerre suburb.
The ages of Chavignol
When the rind begins to turn blue, it will be about three months old. That is when a Crottin de Chavignol should be on a restaurant's cheese trolley or purchased to take home. If you have bought one to take home, then eat it within one or two weeks. Outside of the area, not every fromagerie will stock Crottin de Chavignol. With France's 46 AOP kinds of cheeses and at least another 1,200 registered cheeses fighting for shelf space, not even the largest cheese shop can carry everything. For a restaurant, keeping even 20 cheeses properly aged is a very expensive process. Fromageries will stock many more cheeses and, apart from the most popular cheeses and their own preferred choices, they will hold monthly specials. I spent some time with a Maître Fromager, a cheese master, in the city of Bourges. This well-educated cheese maven was also the owner of an excellent cheese store selling Crottin de Chavignol. He offers his customers and, on my visit, slivers of this cheese at two or three stages of maturity. He points out the different ages of each and allows the buyer to choose among the different tastes.
Three ages in the life of a Crottin de Chavignol.
The cream-colored cheese on the left is fresh and soft.
The cheese in the center is called “bluish” and ready to eat but mild.
The cheese on the right marked is aged and the choice of the cheese mavens who appreciate the bite.
Photograph courtesy of the Chavignol cheese producers.
When buying a Chavignol to take home, remember that cheeses
with unpasteurized milk brought to the USA need to be clearly marked that they
have aged over sixty days. The UK accepts the European Union inspected
unpasteurized cheeses without any restrictions.
You’ll know when you arrive in Chavignol.
Photograph courtesy
of Sunny Ripert
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sunfox/4613837935/
The village of Chavignol gave the cheese its name and remains a small and beautiful village in the department of Cher in the region of Centre-Val de Loire. The department of Cher is part of the ancient province of Berry in the Loire Valley and home to many famous wines and cheeses. Berry has five excellent goat’s cheeses including the Crottin de Chavignol AOP; the Valençay AOP; the Pouligny Saint Pierre AOP; the Selles sur Cher, AOP, and the Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine AOP
Crottin de Chavignol on French menus:
Salade de Crottin de Chavignol, (Salade Verte, Crottin Chaud, Tomate, Magret Fumé) – A green salad made with a young Crottin de Chavignol served warm, along with tomato and smoked duck breast.
La Tarte au Crottin de Chavignol – A cheese tart made with the Crottin de Chavignol.
Le Burger au Crottin de Chavignol – A cheeseburger made with the Crottin de Chavignol.
Crottin de Chavignol Chaud sur Pain Poilâne Toasté - Crottin de Chavignol served on toasted Polar bread also called Swedish bread or Nordic bread. This bread is a traditional rye flour flat bread with dimples.
Crottin de Chavignol sur Toast au Miel d'Acacia et Pignons de Pin - Crottin de Chavignol cheese served on toast with Acacia honey and pine nuts.
Acacia Honey.
Photograph courtesy of Daioh
https://www.flickr.com/photos/parparlotie/3738445557
Crottin de Chavignol Rôti et Poires Grillée - Crottin de Chavignol roasted and served with grilled pears.
Celebrating the Crottin de Chavignol
With such a famous cheese, there is an annual fete to celebrate it: the Fete du Crottin de Chavignol, the Chavignol cheese fair; it is held on the first Saturday and Sunday in May. Chavignol uses its position very well, and the festival is set in between the village of Chavignol and the town of Sancerre in the Caves de la Mignonne. Even if you missed the Fete du Crottin de Chavignol, the village of Sancerre and the villages roundabout have about twelve fêtes over weekends between April and August, celebrating local wines, cheeses, snails, and other products offering tastes and places to purchase. One fete that should not be missed celebrates Sancerre wines and oysters.
The Tourist Information Office of Sancerre has an English-language website that covers the whole area of Sancerrois, including all the villages and places of interest around the town of Sancerre and Chavignol. Whatever you do not see clearly on their website, write to them, and within three or four days you will have a reply. Their English language website is:
https://www.tourisme-sancerre.com/
Most of the Chavignol cheese is produced near the village.
However, for historical reasons, some of the cheese is made just over the
border in the neighboring departments of Loiret and Nièvre in
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
The Château de Sancerre
Photograph courtesy
of JPC24M
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cjp24/5544936637/
Getting to Chavignol and Sancerre
Bourges, the capital of the ancient province of Berry and now the capital of the department of Cher is in the region of Centre-Val de Loire. Bourges is a beautiful and fascinating city, and from there to Chavignol or Sancerre is just 46 km (29 miles), and that is less than one hour by car or bus from Bourges. Caveat emptor, avoid the train it will take you three hours.
The meaning of the word crottin.
The word crottin is part of the name of many small goats’ cheeses. The rather unfortunate translation of this word into English is a little piece of animal dung! Nevertheless, do not worry; the small goats’ cheeses with crottin as part of their name are mostly excellent. A few hundred years ago, when the local farmers were handing out the names for tiny cheeses, they did not have a public relations expert at hand. They looked at the size of the cheese and playfully associated the shapes with names that they knew. Who expected these cheeses to be sold around the world and become part of the cheese course in three-star Michelin restaurants?
Wines from Sancerre.
Photograph
courtesy of dpotera
https://www.flickr.com/photos/e_calamar/7073195509/
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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright 2010, 2012, 2017, 2022
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