Goats produce the milk used to make goat cheese. Goat milk can be fermented, aged, or consumed fresh, and cheeses made from it are produced in many regions, including France, Greece, Spain, and the Middle East.
Goats were among the earliest animals domesticated for food and other resources. Their relatively small size and ability to browse shrubs and varied vegetation helped make them useful to farming communities in environments where cattle were harder to keep.
The name describes the milk source, not one single cheese style. Goat cheese may be soft, fresh, semi-hard, or aged, and its flavor depends on breed, feed, processing, and maturation. Cow, sheep, and buffalo milk are also widely used in cheesemaking.