The Three Whales of Corsican Cuisine
What do you know about Corsican cuisine? Not about French cuisine, but about Corsica. We’ll tell you now.
Corsica’s cuisine is mainly based on French and Italian cuisine but has unique features. As the title says, Corsican cuisine is based on three main whales: sheep cheese, mainly wild boar and chestnuts. Now, let’s get into it.
Corsican cheeses. As the island is dominated by mountains and mountainous terrain, this is an excellent breeding ground for sheep. And with the help of sheep, they make sheep cheese, one of the most famous in Corsica. Its name is brocciu. It tastes even more like goat cheese. There is an alternative to cow’s milk — brousse. But this cheese is considered less delicious, though more affordable. You can also distinguish where the cheese is made. These are the most popular Corsican cheeses:
Brocciu is a lactose-free serum cheese similar to ricotta. It can be eaten fresh or aged, and it is a common ingredient in many recipes, from snacks to sweets.
Tommette de Chèvre is a strong goat milk cheese with full taste.
Corsu Vecchiu is a semi-hard, semi-mature cheese made of sheep’s milk.
Casgiu merzu is a Corsican version of the famous «rotten cheese» of Sardinia, casu marzu, complete with insect larvae.
And for the true lovers of cheese, in May in Venaco there is a cheese fair A Fiera di U Casgiu, where you will be told, shown and let taste all kinds of cheese you want.
Corsican meat. Sausage products in Corsica are considered one of the best in the world, thanks to well-protected traditional production processes and the fact that Corsican pigs, who live partly in the wild (as all animals in Corsica) are interbreeding with wild boar, benefit from a diet consisting mainly of chestnuts. You will often see runaway little piglets on the side of the road, seductively devouring delicious chestnuts from the tree directly from beneath their pen. The best jerky of Corsica is made from free-range pigs grown on chestnuts, acorns and other delicious meals. Here are some of the most delicious products:
Figatellu / fitonu is a liverwurst sausage, a speciality product of Corsica, figatellu is a smoked, dried pork liver sausage that is often grilled or used in lentil soup to add some substance. The sausage is smoked for 3–4 days, then dried.
Coppa AOC * (or capicollu) is an Italian classic of neck and shoulders.
Lonzu AOC — Salted, smoked and peppered pork.
Prisuttu AOC — matured for at least 12 months, awarded — smoked ham in Corsican.
The meat part of Corsican cuisine is also famous for its pastels. Not only pork but also blackberry, hare and boar.
Chestnuts. During Genoese times (from 1284 to the middle of the 18th century), extensive chestnut forests were planted in Corsica as an alternative to crops that were difficult to grow. Chestnuts are rich in calories and can be dried and ground up. The resulting flour is used in many Corsican recipes. And it is a staple product of wheat flour. There are even two annual feasts dedicated to the mighty chestnut. Do you know how chestnuts came to be in the Corsicans’ habit? In the 14th century, the Corsicans were weakened by attacks, malaria, and a very poor diet: in winter they ate wild herb soup, and famine was frequent. Then, in 1548, when Genoa ruled the island, the Genoese governor ruled that each landowner and lessee must plant a minimum of chestnut, silk, olive and fig tree each year. If not, there will be a fine for each tree not planted. A decree was later issued which attributed 10 chestnuts per year to each landowner and tenant. The landscape of the island has thus changed dramatically. Chestnuts became the staple food of Corsicans, many of whom ate only chestnuts and wine. Calorie-rich nuts were collected, dried and placed on a wooden grille above the fire for one month. The fire, placed on a dry clay base, also smoked the meat products and heated the house. The chestnuts were then rubbed into brown flour. Now, for example, a traditional wedding dinner can consist of 22 different dishes using chestnuts as the main ingredient.
Try many Corsican traditional products, you can go on eMoped to the most popular cities Ajaccio and Bastia, where there are many authentic restaurants.
