Charolais

The breed takes its name from Charolles, in the Saône-et-Loire, and was selected in the Charolais and Brionnais and, from the late eighteenth century, also in the Nivernais. A herd book was opened in the nineteenth century. Exported widely in the twentieth century, Charolais bulls are now used across the world to add muscle to crossbred calves. In its home region, "Bœuf de Charolles" is a protected designation of origin (French AOC 2010, EU PDO 2014).