Cabécou () is a soft
goat cheese that comes from the
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées (; or ; ) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Occitania. It was the largest region of Metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark. ...
region of southern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It has a thin striped rind and after two weeks its crust grows blue
mold
A mold () or mould () is one of the structures that certain fungus, fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of Spore#Fungi, spores containing Secondary metabolite#Fungal secondary metabolites, fungal ...
changing its taste. It is one of Aquitaine's most famous foods. Aquitaine is a region in the lower bottom of France. The coloration of this creation is a calm cream color. Cabécou is a cheese generally made from raw goat's milk originating from the regions of the
Massif Central such as
Quercy
Quercy (; , locally ) is a former province of France located in the country's southwest, bounded on the north by Limousin, on the west by Périgord and Agenais, on the south by Gascony and Languedoc, and on the east by Rouergue and Auverg ...
,
Rouergue
Rouergue (; ) is a former province of France, corresponding roughly with the modern department of Aveyron. Its historical capital is Rodez. It is bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Géva ...
, Haute-Auvergne,
Limousin
Limousin (; ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. Named after the old province of Limousin, the administrative region was founded in 1960. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne. On 1 Jan ...
and
Périgord
Périgord ( , ; ; or ) is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne department, now forming the northern part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is divided into f ...
.
Its best consumption period extends from April to August.
The name comes from the
Occitan Occitan may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain.
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France.
* Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...
word ''cabra''/''craba'' which means goat.
Description
It is a small round cheese, measuring 4 to 6.5 centimeters in diameter and 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters in thickness, with a soft interior and a bloomy rind.
Its weight generally does not exceed 40 grams, and it contains approximately 45% fat. The taste is mildly lactic.
The ripening period ranges from ten days to four weeks.
Some cabécous listed in the ''Dictionnaire des fromages du monde'' (Dictionary of cheeses from around the world) include:
*
Rocamadour
Rocamadour (; ''Rocamador'' in Occitan) is a commune in the Lot department in southwestern France. It lies in the former province of Quercy. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Associati ...
, which benefits from commercial protection via a protected designation of origin (PDO),
* Cabécou du Fel,
* Cabécou de Livernon.
The Cabécou du Périgord has been protected since 1992 by the Interprofessional Goat Association of Dordogne Périgord, through a collective trademark and logo.
See also
*
List of goat milk cheeses
Goat cheese is produced using goat milk, the milk of domestic goats. Goat milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products, including cheese. Myriad goat milk cheeses are produced around the world.
Traditional varieties
*
* Añejo che ...
References
External links
Cabecou on Fromage.com
French cheeses
Occitan cheeses
Goat's-milk cheeses
{{France-cheese-stub