🧀 Brocciu

Brocciu (registered names Brocciu Corse and Brocciu) is a French whey cheese protected as a PDO (registered on 21 June 1996, file PDO-FR-0136). According to the single document, it is made exclusively from fresh goat's and/or ewe's whey, supplemented with fresh raw whole ewe's and/or goat's milk and salt.

How it is made. Only Corsican breeds of sheep and goats are allowed. The whey must come from rennet-based production of fresh ewe's and/or goat's curd; the milk for that curd is used within 40 hours of the first milking, and no coagulating enzymes of fungal or microbial origin are permitted. The whey is used within two hours of the cheese being made, its pH may not be below 6.20 and lactose may not be removed. The added milk is fresh raw whole milk used within 24 hours of milking. The whey is heated slowly in a large vat, with salt as a catalyst, so that its soluble proteins coagulate. The animals feed mainly on rough grazing.

Types and look. Brocciu is sold fresh (frais) or ripened (passu). It weighs 250 g to 3 kg depending on the mould (3 kg, 1 kg, 500 g or 250 g). The fat content is at least 40 g per 100 g of dry cheese; the frais type has at least 20 g of dry matter per 100 g and the passu type at least 35 g. The colour ranges from pure white to cream, the texture is firm and creamy and the flavour mild and slightly salty; the fresher the cheese, the softer and creamier. The specification mentions omelettes with wild mint, the tart imbrucciata and ciaccia doughnuts.

Area. Milk, whey and cheese are produced and ripened in the departments of Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud.

Brocciu or ricotta, brousse? Searches set them side by side, so compare by method. Brocciu is a Corsican PDO made exclusively from fresh ewe's or goat's whey, with fresh raw whole milk and salt added. The whey is used within two hours of cheesemaking, its pH may not be below 6.20 and lactose may not be removed; it is then heated slowly in a large vat so its proteins coagulate. Only Corsican breeds are allowed, and the cheese is sold fresh or ripened. For ricotta, brousse or other whey cheeses, check their own specification: the name and PDO symbol tell more than the look.

Look for “Brocciu Corse” or “Brocciu” with the EU PDO symbol (protected designation of origin) and Corsica as the origin. The pack should say whether it is fresh (frais) or ripened (passu); sizes run from 250 g to 3 kg depending on the mould. The colour goes from pure white to cream, with a firm, creamy texture. You will find it at a cheese counter, a delicatessen or a cheesemonger, mostly as a Corsican speciality.

Why it matters to you. The name Brocciu has been protected in the EU since 1996: it means Corsican ewe's or goat's whey with raw milk added, made in Corsica.