Cheese is a way of life on Corsica
On Corsica, cheese is not about mass production. It's about shepherds who trek through the mountains with their goats and sheep, milk that is processed the very same day, and recipes that have remained unchanged for centuries. The island is home to hundreds of small-scale cheesemakers, and every valley has its own distinctive flavour.
Brocciu: the queen of Corsican cheeses
Brocciu is the star of the show. This soft, fresh cheese is made from sheep's or goat's milk whey and has held an AOP label (Appellation d'Origine Protegee) since 1983. It is the only French cheese with an AOP made from whey.
Fresh brocciu has a mild, slightly sweet taste and a creamy texture. You'll find it everywhere on the island: as a filling in cannelloni, in the famous fiadone (cheese cake with lemon), stirred through pasta, in omelettes, or simply on its own with a drizzle of honey.
The season for fresh brocciu runs from November to June, when the sheep and goats are producing milk. Outside the season, you'll find brocciu passu, the dried and aged version, which has a sharper flavour.
Insider tip Ask at a market or from a shepherd to taste fresh brocciu. It tastes nothing like the vacuum-packed version from the supermarket. With a drop of Corsican honey, it's unforgettable.
Tomme corse and other aged cheeses
Alongside brocciu, Corsica has a rich tradition of aged cheeses. Tomme corse is a semi-hard cheese made from sheep's or goat's milk, with a firm rind and a full, spicy flavour. The longer it ages, the more intense the taste.
Other well-known varieties:
- Bastelicaccia: a soft sheep's cheese from the Ajaccio region
- Venachese: a sharp cheese from the mountains around Venaco, where the famous cheese fair Fiera di u Casgiu is held every May
- Niolo: a strong cheese from the remote Niolu valley
Casgiu merzu: not for everyone
The most notorious Corsican cheese is casgiu merzu, literally "rotten cheese". It is a sheep's cheese in which cheese fly larvae are deliberately cultivated. The larvae digest the fat in the cheese, creating an extremely soft, almost liquid texture with a very intense flavour.
Casgiu merzu is officially banned from sale under EU regulations, but it is still made and eaten in private homes. It is not a tourist gimmick — it's an authentic part of Corsican food culture.
Where to taste?
- At the Fiera di u Casgiu in Venaco (first weekend of May)
- From shepherds and small producers along mountain roads, recognisable by handwritten signs
- At the weekly markets in Ajaccio, Bastia, Corte and L'Ile-Rousse
Insider tip Don't buy your cheese at the airport or in souvenir shops. Drive up a mountain road, find a shepherd with a fromage sign by the road, and buy there. The price is lower, the quality higher, and the conversation that comes with it is worth the trip.