Dairy
Crottin
Crottin is the generic small cylindrical goat cheese form of central and western France—a squat drum that can be eaten moist and young or dried to a firm, peppery puck. The paste is white and lactic; the natural rind greys and wrinkles with age while moisture loss concentrates nutty, haylike, and gently goaty flavours. Bake halved crottins on toast, crumble aged pieces into salads, or serve successive ages on one board. Beyond the protected Crottin de Chavignol, countless farmhouse and creamery crottins share the size and ripening path without the AOP name, making crottin a working category as well as a specific appellation.
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History
Small drum-shaped goat cheeses called crottins were everyday products of Loire and Berry farm dairies.
Protection of Crottin de Chavignol clarified the gap between the AOP name and generic crottin formats.
Outside France, crottin became the usual term for small aged goat cylinders on specialty counters.