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In the specialty cheese market, goat cheese has dominated, with the American Cheese Society boasting more goat cheeses at its annual competition than cow cheeses. The number of goat dairies in the nation grew by 7.5 percent between 2007 and 2011.

Since goats are one of the first animals ever to be domesticated, they were a prevalent source of cheese for our human ancestors during the food’s infancy. Today, goat cheese is still a staple in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and South American diets, while it has only recently hit its stride in North America.

“We are now experiencing a renaissance in goat farming in this country,” says Paul Kindstedt, a cheese historian and professor at the University of Vermont. Kindstedt credits the renewed interest in goat dairying to the back-to-land movements of the early 1970s, which focused on small, sustainable farming methods. Since then, goat farming has been steadily growing, especially since the turn of the 21st century. Since goats need less water and pasture than cows and are overall a hardier animal, they have become an appealing alternative for aspiring dairy farmers who want to start or even stay small.

“Goats are easier to care for [than cows], gregarious, and don't have a lot demands while also being relatively benevolent,” Kindstedt tells me. “This makes them a perfect match for the new attitude among some farming communities that small is beautiful.”

Fans of goat cheese claim that it tends to run lower in lactose, fat, cholesterol, and calories than cheese made from cow’s milk. And while nearly 20 percent of dairy cows in the U.S. are treated with the controversial artificial growth hormone rBGH, goats are not treated with rBGH, making them an option for Americans trying to eat hormone-free. Kindstedt warns some of these advantages might be overstated; studies show that goat cheese actually has comparable levels of fat and lactose to cow cheese. Nonetheless, goat cheese may be more digestible to some cheese-lovers than cow cheese due to lower proteins in goat milk.

But there are other options for professed cheese connoisseurs, even for those who want to give up animal-based products altogether.

The number of vegans in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2009, and more than a third of American households have increased their selection of plant-based foods. Vegan cheeses have also finally come into the limelight, with launches of vegan-cheese products rising by more than 118 percent in just the past few years, according to the Mintel Group. “Basically, we’ve seen a massive rise in artisanal hand-crafted vegan cheeses in the last few years,” says Ryan Wilson, the co-owner of VeganEssentials.com, which offers the largest online selection of vegan cheeses. “It’s our fastest-growing area for food sales.”

Wilson’s sales for mass-produced vegan cheeses has increased by 70 percent this past year, while sales for “artisanal” vegan cheeses have more than doubled in the past two years. Many of these vegan alternatives are made from soy, tapioca, or nut milks like almond, cashew, or macadamia. They stretch the very definition of cheese, while still attracting former cheese lovers who have jumped on the vegan bandwagon.