Chef at 11:46, 16 January 2014

2014-01-16T11:46:21Z

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|description=Chevrotin cheese is a raw goats' milk cheese made in the Haute Savoie region of France
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[[Image:Chevrotin cheese.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Chevrotin cheese]]
'''Chevrotin cheese''' is a raw goats' milk cheese made in the Haute Savoie region of France. It is a soft, almost sweet, aromatic cheese with a yellowish rind and a white mould.

*Description
Chevrotin is an [[AOP]] and [[AOC]] [[cheese]] made exclusively from unpasteurised goats’ [[milk]]; the [[cheeses]] are cylindrical, with a diameter of 9 to 12 cm and a height of 3 to 4.5 cm, and weigh 250 to 350 g. It is a soft, almost sweet, aromatic [[cheese]] with a yellowish rind and a white mould. This [[cheese]] is pressed, uncooked, with a washed rind, partially or totally covered after maturing with a fine white mould composed mainly of geotrichum and contains at least 45 g of fat for 100 g of [[cheese]] after complete desiccation with a dry matter content no less than 45 g for 100 g of [[cheese]]. As soon as it is mature, Chevrotin is individually packaged in a pack that includes a removable base consisting in a thin sheet of spruce. Chevrotin [[cheeses]] are packaged whole.

*Geography

The area includes the whole territory of the following municipalities in the department of Haute-Savoie:

Abondance, Alex, Allèves, Arêches, Aviernoz, Bellevaux, Bernex, Boëge, Bogève, Bluffy, Bonnevaux, Brizon, Burdignin, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Châtel, Chevenoz, Chevaline, Combloux, Cons-Sainte-Colombe, Cordon, Demi-Quartier, Dingy-Saint-Clair, Domancy, Doussard, Entremont, Entrevernes, Essert-Romand, Faverges, Giez, Habère-Lullin, Habère-Poche, La-Balme-de-Thuy, La Baume, La Chapelle-d'Abondance, La Chapelle Saint-Maurice, La Clusaz, La Côte-d'Arbroz, La Forclaz, La Rivière-Enverse, La Tour, La Vernaz, Lathuile, Le Biot, Le Bouchet, Le Grand-Bornand, Le Petit-Bornand-les-Glières, Le Reposoir, Les Clefs, Les Contamines-Montjoie, Les Gets, Les Houches, Les Villards sur Thônes, Leschaux, Lullin, Magland, Manigod, Marlens, Megève, Mégevette, Mieussy, Montmin, Montriond, Mont Saxonnex, Morillon, Morzine, Nancy-sur-Cluses, Nâves-Parmelan, Novel, Onnion, Passy, Praz-sur-Arly, Reyvroz, Sallanches, Samoëns, Saxel, Serraval, Servoz, Seythenex, Seytroux, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, Saint-André-de-Boëge, Saint-Eustache, Saint-Ferréol, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Saint-Jean-d'Aulps, Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, Saint-Jean-de-Tholomé, Saint-Jeoire, Saint-Laurent, Saint-Sigismond, Saint-Sixt, Talloires, Taninges, Thollon-les-Mémises, Thônes, Thorens-Glières, Vacheresse, Vailly, Vallorcine, Verchaix, Villard sur Boëge, Villaz, Villeen-Sallaz, Viuz-en-Sallaz.

The area includes part of the following municipalities:

Ayze, Duingt, Gruffy, La Roche-sur-Foron, Lugrin, Marignier, Marnaz, Perrignier, Scionzier, Saint- Jorioz, Viuz-la-Chiésaz

The area includes the whole territory of the following municipalities in the department of Savoie:

Aillon-le-Jeune, Aillon-le-Vieux, Allondaz, Arith, Bellecombe-en-Bauges, Cléry, Cohennoz, Crest-Volland, Doucy-en-Bauges, Ecole-en-Bauges, Flumet, Jarsy, La Compôte, La Giettaz, La-Motteen-Bauges, La Thuile, Le Châtelard, Le Noyer, Les Déserts, Lescheraines, Notre-Damede-Bellecombe, Puygros, Saint-François-de-Sales, Saint-Nicolas-la-Chapelle, Sainte-Reine, Thoiry, Ugine.

The area includes part of the following municipalities:

Hauteluce, Le Montcel, Marthod, Mercury, Montailleur, Plancherine, Saint-Jean-d'Arvey, Saint-Jeande-la-Porte, Saint-Offenge-Dessus, Thénésol, Verrens Arvey, Villard sur Doron.

The link between Chevrotin and its origin is due to the combination of a natural environment colonised by human practices adapted to the environment which result from generations of know-how. Chevrotin has been produced from time immemorial in the departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie, as attested by 18th century deeds in the municipalities including Alpine pasture. The geological skeleton of the Chevrotin production area is characterised by sedimentary limestone. The landscape is ridged with hard limestone bars at whose feet lie pastures of an altitude higher than 1 500 metres, with a mountain climate marked by heavy rainfall throughout the year and very low winter temperatures. The combination of the climate and geological environment means that the area has major forage potential.

These conditions are suitable for a wide variety of flora, especially in the high pastures where, depending on the duration of snow cover, the inclination of the parent rocks and their geological type, animals find a diverse range of environments and vegetation groups. In these conditions, Alpine breed goats, which are robust and prolific [[milk]] producers, are well adapted to the environment and can move around with great ease to make use of the most difficult forage resources in the mountains. Production conditions are defined in such a way as to preserve the special features of the area and ensure that they are reflected in the features of the product. It is clear that, historically, the technology applied to the manufacture of this goats’ [[milk]] cheese is similar to that used for the cows’ [[milk]] [[cheeses]] of the region, such as Reblochon. Chevrotin is the only rapid curdling, washed-rind goats’ cheese in the industry.

*History
The earliest references to Chevrotin date back to the 18th century, but the [[cheese]] had probably already been known in Savoie and Haute Savoie for some time before then. The most relevant documents are farm-out agreements (actes d'amodiations): the lessee (usually a mountain stockbreeder) often paid dues in the form of cheese. Chevrotin is routinely mentioned in this context. Despite a fairly small goat population, Chevrotin was manufactured after the kids were weaned, i.e. in the season of return to the heights.

Every [[milk]] producer, every processing plant and every maturing plant fills in a ‘declaration of aptitude’ registered with the INAO. Registers and any other documents required for checking the origin, quality and production conditions of the [[milk]] and [[cheese]] must be kept at the INAO's disposal by the operators. A translucid white casein plate bearing the designation of origin and the producer's identification number is affixed to the [[cheese]] in the course of manufacture. The finished products undergo laboratory tests and tasting to ensure that they are high-quality, typical products

*Production
Method of production: Chevrotin is exclusively a farm product. The [[milk]] used is never obtained by collection from a number of herds, but is always that of a single herd. Most of the [[milk]] used to produce Chevrotin comes from Alpine breeds of goat. There are two separate herd-management seasons, based on the use of the natural resources of the mountains:

— During the winter season, which lasts five to seven months, fodder is used, mainly from the local area. Locally-produced fodder accounts for at least 70 % in dry weight of total fodder consumption.

— For the remaining period of at least five months, feeding is based on grazing the spontaneous vegetation of the diversified pasture on the heights. Supplementary feeding is marginal.

Each goat has an available area of at least 1 000 square metres. [[Milk]] output per goat is limited. The [[milk]] is used raw and whole, with no standard protein or fat content. All physical processing other than filtering to eliminate macroscopic impurities is prohibited. It is prohibited to remove anything from the [[milk]], or to add anything other than [[rennet]], lactic ferment and [[salt]] (sodium chloride).

From milking to the end of the manufacturing process, the [[milk]] temperature must never be lower than 10° C or higher than 40° C. No more than 14 hours may elapse between milking the first batch and adding [[rennet]]. Simple cooling of the [[milk]] helps to encourage natural ferments and to avoid the development of psychotropic flora. After the addition of [[rennet]], the [[milk]] rapidly coagulates. Cutting, stirring, draining of [[whey]], pressing and salting are all carried out manually. The [[curds]] are cut to a size between that of a grain of [[rice]] and a grain of [[maize]]. For moulding, the [[curds]] are placed in individual moulds. After filling, the moulds are turned once. Pressing takes six to twelve hours, during which the moulds are turned at least once more. The [[cheese]] is then salted, then dried for five to nine days at a temperature between 15 °C and 20 °C, during which time the [[cheeses]] are turned daily. Maturing lasts at least 21 days on a spruce board, to develop the aromatic qualities of the cheese; during the maturing phase, the [[cheeses]] are turned at least three times a week. The only surface colouring agents authorised are carotene (E160a) and rocou (E160b).

Reference: '''[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2003:262:0012:0015:EN:PDF The European Commission]'''

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Chevrotin cheese - Revision history

Chef at 11:46, 16 January 2014