Le Chabichou du Poitou
Wrinkly and dusted with a white bloom, a two inch tall, slightly conical drum, this little cheese comes from around Poitiers. Apparently, it dates back to the Moorish invasion of that area in 732. Some Arabs stayed behind, and with them, their herds of goats… and, well, this was France, so they simply had to make cheese from the milk.
 Le Chabichou This is classified as an aged fresh cheese (see the Glossary for an explanation) and is typically 2-3 weeks old when ready. Unusually for a goat’s cheese, it only has a faint whiff of goat. It does however have a strong smell, that can only be described as mousey. Sweet, pungent… and, well… like mouse pee. The interior has a soft, thin buttery layer whilst the inner pate is quite firm, like slightly dried out putty. Once cut, there is a very strong goaty smell. The taste starts very fresh and sharp and contains concentrated essence of goat, then it turns quite bitter, leaving a lingering and slightly burning aftertaste. Olympia loves goat’s cheese and loved this, I wasn’t quite so keen (hence the middle of the road score). |
Very goaty, so if you like goat’s cheese, you will probably enjoy this.
Purchased from the French cheese stall outside Brighton Station,
Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2012
(2.5/5)