Brocciu is a Corsican cheese produced from a combination of milk and

whey Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard ...

, giving it some of the characteristics of

whey cheese Whey cheese is a dairy product made of whey, the by-product of cheesemaking. After the production of most cheeses, about 50% of milk solids remain in the whey, including most of the lactose and lactalbumin. The production of whey cheese allows c ...

. It is produced from

ewe's milk Sheep's milk (or ewes' milk) is the milk of domestic sheep. It is commonly used to make cultured dairy products such as cheese. Some of the most popular sheep cheeses include feta (Greece), ricotta (Italy), and Roquefort (France). Sheep breeds S ...

. It is notable as a substitute for

lactose Lactose is a disaccharide sugar synthesized by galactose and glucose subunits and has the molecular formula C12H22O11. Lactose makes up around 2–8% of milk (by mass). The name comes from ' (gen. '), the Latin word for milk, plus the suffix ...

-rich Italian

Ricotta Ricotta ( in Italian) is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after t ...

, as brocciu contains less lactose. Produced on the island of Corsica, brocciu is considered the island's most representative food. Like ricotta, it is a young white cheese and is paired frequently with Corsican white

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ...

s. It has been described as "the most famous cheese" in Corsica. The word brocciu is related to the French word '' brousse'' and means fresh cheese made with goat or ewe's milk. Brocciu is made from

and milk. First, the whey is heated to a low temperature of just a few degrees below and then ewe's milk is added and further heated to just a bit below . After heating, the cheese is drained in rush baskets. The cheese is ready for consumption immediately, although it may be ripened for a few weeks ( co, brocciu passu or ''brocciu vechju''); the ideal affinage time for brocciu is 48 hours to one month. In Corsican cuisine, it is used in the preparation of innumerable dishes, from first courses to desserts.

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References

* {{French cheeses Whey cheeses Sheep's-milk cheeses French cheeses Corsican cuisine French products with protected designation of origin Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union

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