August Is National Goat Cheese Month

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In order to give a boost of support to a particular segment of food producers, the American Legislature will honor food with its own day, week, or month. August is National Goat Cheese Month.

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"Goat Cheese" is a term which  carries a degree of confusion along with it. When many people use the term, they're referring to Chevre, such as the one from La Bonne Vie (as pictured on the left) in France.  

Chevre is made from bacterial cultures and rennet being added to raw or pasteurized goats' milk.  The mixture coagulates over time, forming ad dense curd.  The curd is then separated from the whey and put into molds to age and develop complexity of flavor.  

The end result is  a roll of soft crumbly cheese with a salty flavor and mildly tart finish.   Such cheeses can be purchased plain, or with various ingredients (Italian herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, etc...) mixed in.

However, "Goat Cheese" can also refer to any cheese made with goat milk, including, but not limited to:

•  Anari cheese
• Añejo cheese 
• Anthotyros
• Ardagh Castle Cheese
• Ardsallagh Goat Farm
• Banon cheese
• Bastardo del Grappa
• Blue Rathgore
• Bluebell Falls
• Bokmakiri cheese
• Bonne Bouche
• Bouq Émissaire
• Brunost
• Bucheron
• Cabécou
• Cabrales cheese
• Caciotta
• Capricious
• Caprino cheese
• Caprino dell'Aspromonte
• Castelo Branco cheese
• Cathare
• Chabichou
• Chabis
• Chaubier
• Chavroux
• Chèvre noir
• Chevrotin
• Circassian cheese
• Circassian smoked cheese
• Clochette
• Clonmore Cheese
• Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese
• Corleggy Cheese
• Couronne lochoise
• Crottin de Chavignol
• Dolaz cheese
• Faisselle 
• Feta (Great on salads, tacos, and pizzas)
• Formaela
• Garrotxa cheese
• Geitost
• Gevrik
• Dunlop cheese
• Gleann Gabhra
• Glyde Farm Produce
• Graviera
• Halloumi
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• Harbourne Blue
• Humboldt Fog 
• Jibneh Arabieh
• Kars gravyer cheese
• Kasseri
• Kefalotyri
• Kunik cheese
• Leipäjuusto
• Majorero
• Manouri
• Mató
• Mizithra
• Nabulsi cheese
• Pantysgawn
• Payoyo cheese
• Pélardon
• Picodon
• Picón Bejes-Tresviso
• Pouligny-Saint-Pierre cheese
• Queso Palmita
• Rigotte de Condrieu
• Robiola
• Rocamadour cheese
• Rubing
• Sainte-Maure de Touraine
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• Santarém cheese
• Selles-sur-Cher cheese
• Snøfrisk
• St Helen's
• St Tola
• Testouri
• Tesyn
• Tulum cheese
• Valençay cheese
• Van herbed cheese
• Xynomizithra
• Xynotyro

Interestingly, when lawmakers declared August to be National Goat Cheese Month they didn't define their terms.  Were they referring to the rolls of soft tangy cheese only, or were they intending to honor all cheeses made with goats' milk?  Because we want our lawmakers to be masters of ambiguity.  HA!  

On the other hand, such ambiguity gives us a good excuse to try a variety of these delicacies during the rest of this month.

Stay healthy, safe, and sane, my friends.