Are you hungry?
Famous for the authentic delights it offers, Corsican gastronomy is rooted in the simple pleasures of life.
Gourmets and gourmets, there is always a Corsican speciality for you.
With a wealth of quality producers and craftsmen, travel through the West Corsica region, fork in hand, to discover the thousand and one flavours produced on our land.
Charcuterie
Many Corsican charcuterie products have the "AOP" label, Protected Designation of Origin.
This label identifies products that are produced, processed and prepared in the same place.
Corsican regional products, including charcuterie, thus benefit from a recognised know-how and a reputation guaranteed by this regulation.
To be tasty, charcuterie must be fatty.
Do not eat it on a diet if you want to enjoy it fully, as the best pieces have bits of fat on the outside or inside.
Some specialities of Corsican charcuterie not to be missed:
- DRY SAUSAGE
- THE PRISUTTU
- THE COPPA
- THE LONZU
- THE FIGATELLU
Our best vintages
On granite soils with a south/south-west exposure, the vineyards of the area both benefit from the AOP Ajaccio appellation.
Their slightly elevated position allows them to benefit from a marine influence providing warm air during the day and cool air at night.
The most commonly used grape varieties
- Sciaccarellu
A grape variety unique to Corsica, "sciaccarellu", which means "crunchy", reigns supreme in the granitic parts of our territory where it produces wines of great finesse.
The aromas of red fruits, spices, coffee and maquis flowers released by these reds and their lightly coloured robe give a particular suppleness to these wines. - Vermentinu
Also known as Malvoisie de Corse, the very high quality white wines produced from this grape variety are among the best in the Mediterranean region.
The floral, apple and almond aromas will delight lovers of dry, voluminous and very typical white wines with a pale yellow-green colour. - Niellucciu, Minustellu, Moresconu and Grenache are also used on these lands.
Visit the domains of our territory
- Clos d'Alzeto (highest vineyard in Corsica)
- Tremica Estate
Both estates ensure a traditional cultivation of the vines with respect for nature, the environment and the place.
Honey
A traditional activity on the island since antiquity, beekeeping has been structured over time until it has obtained protection, a sign of quality.
The Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée " Miel de Corse - Mele di Corsica" , obtained in 1998 at national level, introduced for the first time in France the notion of "local honey".
Corsican honeys offer a great diversity of tastes.
The 6 varieties of Corsican honey
- Spring: light to golden, its taste is sweet, floral and without acidity
- Spring Maquis: amber-coloured, it has a delicate caramel or cocoa taste and a liquorice or coconut smell
- Miellat du maquis: dark amber, its malty taste with aromas of liquorice, caramel and ripe fruit is persistent in the mouth
- Maquis d'été : light to very light amber, it has a floral, fruity and aromatic taste
- Chestnut grove: amber-coloured, with a strong, tannic taste, long in the mouth with a slight bitterness
- Maquis d'automne: light amber, bitter in taste and strong in the mouth
Every year at the end of September, a honey fair is held in MURZU. It's the only one in Corsica dedicated to honey.
U Mele in Festa celebrates honey in all its forms, with numerous exhibitors and workshops throughout the day.
Cheeses
Corsica and its cheeses are a poem, but also a concentrate of taste and character... in short, a real Corsican!
All the cheeses in our region are real farmhouse cheeses, made from raw goat's or sheep's milk, with a strong identity.
They are the storytellers of this authentic land and its shepherds who, for generations, have reproduced the same artisanal production steps to produce
Jams
So sweet...
Because a little sweetness is always good in this world of brutality, enjoy the many choices of jams: citron, clementine, orange, fig, fig and walnut... Your mouth is already watering!
With cheese, on bread, in your yoghurt or for the real gourmets directly with a spoon, you just have to buy it!
Chestnut flour
As the basis of human and animal nutrition, but also used for construction and the manufacture of furniture and objects, the cultivation of chestnut is anchored in Corsican civilisation.
Its cultivation was abandoned at the beginning of the twentieth century and it was not until the 1970s that a revival of the castaneic industry took place.
Today, about 80 farmers cultivate and harvest chestnuts, mainly to make chestnut flour.
Since 2006, an AOC/AOP label "farine de châtaigne corse - Farina castagnina corsa", ensures that Corsican chestnut flour is :
- the fruit comes from a well-defined geographical area and listed varieties (about fifty of which 20 are the main ones)
- a unique traditional know-how which gives a very characteristic taste to the Corsican chestnut flour.
This naturally sweet and gluten-free flour is ideal for making desserts, pastries, jams or marrons glacés. It is also used in the production of alcohol and beer.
In addition to its nutritional qualities, the Corsican chestnut is known for its mineral content such as potassium, iron and magnesium.
In the past, the 35 mills operating on the island produced 150 tonnes of chestnut flour, of which more than 50% was organic.
Since 2010, the sector has been suffering from the arrival of a chestnut pest originating from China, the cynips. Since then, it has been responsible for a significant loss of harvest.
Brocciu
A true national emblem
Emile Bergerat said at the end of the 19th century: " Whoever has not tasted it does not know the island ". That says it all...
To save you from sweating over the pronunciation, we'll help you out a bit. It is pronounced "brotchiou"...
It is a fresh cheese with a soft and creamy texture, made from the whey of both goat's and sheep's milk.
It is salted, heated and stirred until creamy, then placed in a mould to drain and cool.
It can be eaten at any stage of its maturation.
- very fresh, even while still warm, with sugar and a dash of brandy
- drier and more mature, it is also called "passu", and is eaten sliced, grated or fried like a classic cheese.
Whether fresh or cooked, brocciu contains 45% fat (sometimes more according to some!) so beware of dieting.
Fresh brocciu is best consumed between November and June.
Very present in the Corsican gastronomy, it is accompanied by our recipes as much salted as sweet: traditional desserts (fiadone, ambrucciata), torte, bastelle, omelettes, fritters, cannelloni, lasagne?
This Corsican cheese is protected by both an AOC since 1983 and a PDO since 1998.
Olive oil
Sweetness and aroma of the maquis
The Corsican olive orchard, very present on the island, is the reflection of 3,000 years of history.
There are many varieties of olive trees, giving an olive oil with diverse aromas but with a common sweetness.
The quality and typicality of Corsican olive oil has been protected since 2004 by a controlled designation of origin "Corsican olive oil" or "Corsican olive oil - Oliu di Corsica".
The designation guarantees that the oil purchased has been produced :
- in Corsica
- with local olive varieties
- according to an ancestral know-how
- with modern and environmentally friendly cultivation methods.
There are two ranges of PDO Corsican olive oil:
- a fresher one, from the "harvest on the tree", with aromas of almond, artichoke, hay, dried fruit or apple;
- the other one is "sweeter", made from the "old-fashioned harvest", by natural fall on nets, with aromas of black olive, dried fruits or flowers of the maquis...
The finesse of Corsican olive oil, its extreme softness and its aromatic palette allow it to sublimate all delicate dishes.
The Spuntinu
The Corsican-style snack
To satisfy both small and large hunger at the end of a walk, for example, there is nothing like a good spuntinu.
A moment of sharing par excellence, it is a worthy representative of Corsican mountain culture and generally consists of bread, cold cuts and cheese (Corsican, of course!).
This friendly and nice moment is shared on the banks of a river, in the forest with a large rock or a low wall as a makeshift table.
The spuntinu is the very essence of this snack, snack or picnic where you can enjoy without fuss all the gourmet products that Corsica has to offer!
Come on, now take your knife and your napkin and help yourself!
