Corsican Gastronomy: 5 Corsican specialties to taste during your stay on the island

Corsica attracts by its magnificent landscapes and beautiful beaches. But the island of beauty offers a rich range of culinary specialties to be enjoyed during your stay!

From the north to the south of the island of beauty, Corsica continues to surprise and treat visitors with a tasty gastronomy whose fame has long crossed the sea to export to Marseille, Paris, London... And even to Shanghai! Franche and generous, island cuisine is anchored in sharing and honours noble and fresh products. Here are 5 Corsican specialties to be enjoyed during your next visit to the island.

The figatellu

Composed of pork and abs liver, figatellu is one of the most famous Corsica specialities on the island. This fresh sausage whose recipe and seasoning varies depending on the corners of the island is made during cold months and cooked in the oven or wood fire. In some cases, it is also possible to dry it for several months to taste it throughout the year. A tip, however, avoid the freshly baked figatellu sold during the summer, a good quality product is enjoyed in winter, at the corner of the fireplace, accompanied by fresh bread, eggs, chestnut polenta and a good band of friends!

Brocciu

Figure of Corsican gastronomy, brocciu (pronounced Brô-tchou ) is a cheese speciality prepared based on small milk of goat or sheep, which could be taken for a distant cousin of the pheasel or the Italian ricotta by its appearance. Don’t get me wrong, however, its taste has no equal and makes it a treat patiently expected each year! Made during the herd lactation period, from November to June, it usually tastes fresh, even warm and freshly drained. Savoury alone in the spoon, it sometimes combines sugar, honey or life water and also eats in the traditional brocciu doughnuts, sweet or salty.

The canistrelli

Almond, lemon, chestnut, white wine... It’s not possible to make the scented and dry cakes, real Corsican specialities! Denses and crunchy, canistrelli are consumed at any time of the day, and particularly dipped in coffee. In recent years, new salted versions have also appeared in the markets with biscuits scented with olives, herbs or onions, which make perfect companions around a glass of rose.

The fiadone

Prepared with brocciu, eggs, sugar and orange or lemon zests, fiadone is a traditional Corsican dessert known and prepared from north to south of the island. Served with or without dough depending on the regions, it can be enjoyed sometimes with water of life and complements the meals of a soft and sweet touch.

Olive oil

Renowned as one of the best olive oils in the world by the American ranking World’s best Olive oils , the Corsican olive oil has nothing to envy to its Italian and Spanish neighbors. With its Mediterranean climate and its great diversity of reliefs, Corsica is a place conducive to olive cultivation and produces an average of 200 tons of olive oil per year. The precious golden nectar has been rewarded since 2007 with a Call for Protected Origin and offers exceptional softness in the mouth and a wide aromatic palette that reveals the intense and unique fragrances of the maquis.

Difficult to mention all the gustative treasures not to be missed so the Corsican gastronomy is rich and varied from north to south of the island! For gourmets, you will also have to taste the jam of trusted figs, the grassed bastelle, the tome of sheep, lonzo and coppa, the Corsican wine AOC, the calf with olives...

Good tasting and good stay in Corsica!

Main Photo Credit: Flickr – Robert Lee