Brocciu

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brocciu

Brocciu (pronunciation in French: bRɔtʃʊ or bRɔtʃjʊ ; in Corsican bɾʊtʃ ) or Brocciu corse is one of the most famous Corsican specialties. The so-called “King of Corsican cheeses” is an AOC - or PDO - whey cheese made from sheep or goat milk, which is similar to the Provencal cream cheese “Brousse”. The Corsican name has the same origin.

Brocciu variants

  • Brocciu (i.e. fresh)

It is usually eaten 2-3 days after it is made. It can be enjoyed sweet or salty, cold or warm. The Corsicans usually serve it with a fig jam after the main course. It is also popular as a dessert. The tradition of brocciu with pepper has also established itself at breakfast .

  • Brocciu passu (i.e. mature)

It is called Brocciu passu when it has matured for 21 days. Then a fine, whitish film forms over it.

Brocciu is also available in matured form as the spicy “Vieux Brocciu”. It is preserved with salt and used as a filling for all kinds of dishes, e.g. B. for omelettes (omelette au Broucciu with peppermint ), ravioli , fritters (Fritelli a Gaju Frescu), tartes, etc.

In the main season from autumn to spring, it is available fresh as a dessert or used for Fiadone , a Corsican cheesecake without a base. The best-known varieties are called Bastelicaccia, Coscionu, Niolo and Sartenais, some of them have a very distinctive taste.

A typical Corsican meal is inconceivable without brocciu. In earlier times, when a young couple wanted to get married, the two families met to celebrate the upcoming event in style - with Brocciu donuts. At the first bite, the engagement was considered sealed.

Manufacturing

The production of Brocciu only begins when the ewes and bitches have young. It extends from September to December. First, in late summer, the ewes lamb in the valleys and on the plains; the goats from the low mountain range last in December. During the lactation period, the farmer starts making cheese with the milk excess from the dams. A second period of lamb approximately three months later increases the number of animals to be milked. In some micro-regions, the conditions are given to produce Brocciu in summer, namely in the Casinca , the Castagniccia and on the higher mountain pastures. Otherwise, the sheep farmers consciously change the natural cycle of the animals in order to be able to offer the coveted Brocciu in the tourist summer season. This enables cheese production to be carried out from April to the end of October. Outside the season there is also the packaged "Brousse", which looks and tastes almost exactly like Brocciu, but is much cheaper. It is made from milk powder .

The milk comes in a large container and rennet is added at the right temperature . The milk curdles, and the fraction sinks to the bottom, while the whey is about. This whey is poured into a copper kettle, then heated to 65 ° C to eliminate the leftover rennet. Then a little salt is added and a quarter to a third (in relation to the whey) of the milk from the previous evening ( u purricciu ). This seemingly simple process requires years of experience, because the moment the milk is added determines the quality of the brocciu. The whey will solidify a little with further heating. At a good 80 ° C, the proteins in the lactoserum flocculate . The particles that become Brocciu rise to the surface in a whirling motion. The cheese maker removes the foam and collects the brocciu with the help of a large wooden trowel ( u coppulu ). He fills the contents of every ladle into draining forms ( fattoghje ). When all the molds are full, he plunges one into another to double the amount in it. The loaves weigh between 250 grams and three kilograms. Once drained, they can be eaten immediately.

Sources and individual references

  1. ↑ Bernard Nantet, Patrick Rance, Françoise Botkine, Ninette Lyon, Jean Claude Ribaut, Loisue Brody (design), Jean-Pierre Dieterlein (photos), Beate Felten (transl.) And Birgit Lamerz-Beckschäfer (transl.): Alles Käse! The best varieties in the world . 1st edition. Dumont, Cologne 1998, ISBN 978-3-7701-4609-3 , pp. 163 .
  2. ^ AOC award decree in the Official Gazette of June 3, 1998.
  3. ↑ [1] Website of the cheese dairy BOUJON ("Saison: hiver et printemps")
  4. ↑ [2] Homepage ANDROUET Fromages du Monde (French) "Le fromage Brocciu est fabriqué de l'Hiver jusqu'au début de l'été  "
  5. ↑ [3] Website of the BOUJON cheese dairy (season: hiver et printemps )
  6. ↑ [4] website Recettes corses (fr)
  7. ^ [5] Alimentation et cuisine corses traditionalnelles, mois de novembre
  8. ^ [6] Brocciu et fermiers de Corse
  9. ↑ GEOGUIDE “Corse des villages”, at Gallimard Loisirs, Paris 2011, page 123, example: U Stazzu, Bergeries de Grotelle, opened. July September
  10. ↑ Pascale Moity-Maizi: Systèmes agroalimentaires localisés: terroir, savoir-faire, innovations . Editions Quae, January 1, 2001. Contribution by Patricia Guerrini and Jean-Antoine Prost: Mise en place des contrôle dans une AOC. Le Brocciu corse. Cape. 4.2. : Dû à l'afflux touristique estival et à la forte demande des restaurateurs et patissiers, certains producteurs fabriquent des produits à base de lactérosum et lait de brebis en poudre.
  • Le Jaouen J. C: la fabrication du fromage de chèvre fermier , 1998 (fr)
  • CNAC, L'inventaire du patrimoine culinaire de la France, Corse , with Albin Michel, 1997 (fr)