
There are many ways of serving goat cheese, such as crumbling it on salads, melting it into cooked dishes, or simply serving it with warmed bread. Goat cheese is also more easily digested by humans than cheeses made from cow's milk, which is beneficial for those with lactose intolerance. Often, softer varieties of goat cheese are rolled into fruits, nuts, spices, chopped herbs, or even edible flowers.Ĭompared to similar cheeses such as cream cheese made from cow's milk, goat cheese is lower in fat, cholesterol, and calories and higher in calcium. Young goat cheese is fresh, mild, creamy, and spreadable, whereas aged goat cheese tends to be more complex and sharper. Goat cheese is made in many shapes, sizes, flavors, and textures - from soft and fresh cheese to hard and aged. Today goat's milk is used to make cheese across the globe, from small artisanal farms to mass production. Farmers who used fresh goat's milk to make cheese have referred to it as chèvre for centuries, and the use of the word spread with the cheese's popularity. In the 8th century A.D, the Moors brought goats to the Loire Valley, where French goat cheeses were first made. Because of this and the ease of making it, goat cheese has long been considered peasant's fare. Long referred to as "the poor man's cow" because they are foragers, not grazers goats can thrive on rough land that couldn't support the hardiest cow. Goats were even incorporated into religious deities and rituals and served as a form of currency, with dowries paid and wealth measured in goats. In what is now Iran, Villagers made an informal deal with wild goats they would herd, feed, and protect them in exchange for meat, milk, hides, etc. Goat cheese originated in the Mediterranean and Middle East in areas where goats were more plentiful than cows, especially in areas with rough terrain. The origin of goat cheese dates back almost 9,000 years ago.
