Chabichou du Poitou

Chabichou du Poitou is an unpressed soft cheese made from whole goat's milk, produced within a defined area of the Poitou region. It takes the form of a truncated cone known as a 'bonde', approximately 6 cm high, with a white interior and thin skin. Average weight is 120 grams and fat content is 45 %.

About this designation

Chabichou du Poitou holds PDO status, registered under file number PDO-FR-0115 and granted EU protection on 21 June 1996. The protected name as registered is 'Chabichou du Poitou'. The specification delimits production to communes within the departments of Vienne, Deux-Sèvres, and Charente, corresponding to the Seuil du Poitou geological area, a homogeneous limestone terrain where goats have been reared for centuries. Milk must be produced and cheese manufactured and matured within this geographical area. Production begins with whole goat's milk curdled by lactic acid with a small amount of rennet added. Coagulation must be carried out using rennet only, and the milk must not be concentrated by partially removing the watery part before coagulation. The fresh curd, pre-drained or not, is placed in a perforated mould in the shape of a truncated cone, left to drain for 18 to 24 hours, and salted on the surface. It is then left to dry for a further 24 to 48 hours. Maturation takes place at a temperature of 10 to 12 °C and 80 to 90 % humidity for at least 10 days. The only ingredients, production aids, or additives authorised in the milk and during production are rennet, innocuous bacterial cultures, yeasts, moulds, calcium chloride, and salt. Dairy raw materials, partly finished products, curd, and fresh cheese must not be conserved at a temperature below 0 °C, and fresh cheese and cheese undergoing maturation must not be conserved under a modified atmosphere. Oversight is conducted by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) and the Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes (DGCCRF). Labelling must bear the wording 'Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée' and the name of the designation of origin.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 21 June 1996 under file number PDO-FR-0115; eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012898.
• The specification permits no ingredients, production aids, or additives other than rennet, innocuous bacterial cultures, yeasts, moulds, calcium chloride, and salt.
• The cheese must be matured at 10 to 12 °C and 80 to 90 % humidity for at least 10 days.
• The truncated-cone mould shape, known as a 'bonde', is a mandated formal characteristic; average weight is 120 grams and fat content is 45 %.

Tasting notes

Poitevin goat's milk small log-shaped soft cheese aged 10-30 days. Wrinkled white-grey natural rind (mottled with bluish mold acceptable), ivory paste, semi-firm to creamy texture, fresh tangy goat flavor with hazelnut-grass notes.

HoReCa use

Plateau de fromages with chèvre selection; sliced on warm crouton with honey and thyme; pairs with Sancerre and Quincy.

Packaging

• single-log-150g
• gift-pack-twin-300g

Seasonality