We might as well be honest. Corsica is so much more than wild nature, mountains, and beautiful waters. The food. It’s exquisite, enticing, and makes our mouths water every time we dream of Corsica.
But what delicacies are we talking about? Here, we’ve picked out 10 Corsican treats that you too can discover and enjoy the next time you visit the island.
Corsican cuisine is some of the best we’ve ever tasted (as long as you steer clear of the heavily tourist-focused restaurants). The food is French- (heavily influenced by Nice and Provence) and Italian-inspired. Most of the ingredients are likely produced on Corsica, and several of the products carry the distinctive taste and aroma of the Corsican maquis (the dense, wild-growing plants and herbs that cover the island).
1. Corsican Cheeses
Corsican cheeses are a world unto themselves. Everywhere you can buy food, you’ll find delicious Corsican cheeses – at markets, in supermarkets, and in small delicatessens. The most famous of the Corsican cheeses is brocciu, a fresh sheep’s or goat’s cheese that can serve as an alternative to Italian ricotta.
Dinner in Corsica often looked like this: Corsican cheeses, sausages, hams, melon, and sun-ripened tomatoes… and Pietra beer.
6. Corsican Sausages
The Corsican sausages are world-class. You’ll see them hanging everywhere in neat rows, releasing their slightly nauseating yet oddly wonderful and distinctive aroma – often of wild boar meat. Sausages are a traditional Corsican delicacy and come in all varieties, sizes, and qualities. They’re perfect for snacking, serving as part of a tapas spread, or adding to hearty stews.
3. Chestnut Cream
Corsica is full of large, old chestnut trees, so it’s no surprise that chestnuts are used in many local products. One of the best is chestnut cream, which you can find in jars, cans, or tubes. We usually bring several back home because it’s delicious on freshly baked rolls or as an ingredient in chestnut cake or chocolate cake. The cream has a nutty flavor, somewhat similar to Nutella, but with a much lighter and more delicate taste.
4. Chestnut Flour (Farine de Châtaigne de Corse)
Chestnut flour is used in many Corsican dishes. It’s often added to bread, pancakes, porridge, soups, and stews. The flour has a lovely scent reminiscent of almonds, nuts, and cake…
Corsican cheeses are a world of their own. Everywhere you can buy food, you’ll find delicious Corsican cheeses – at markets, in supermarkets, and in small delicatessens.
5. Corsican honey
If you’re going to Corsica, you must not miss their honey! Corsican honey is the first honey to have received a certified quality label (AOC), thanks to its exceptional quality, the unique Corsican flora, a specific bee species on the island, and very old traditional know-how.
Beekeeping has been a true tradition on the island since ancient times. Back then, it wasn’t uncommon for people to pay their dues to intruders in the form of beeswax or honey. Each family on the island used to have at least one beehive to produce their own nectar.
There are six different varieties of Corsican honey:
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Printemps (Spring)
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Maquis d’été (Summer Maquis)
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Maquis de printemps (Spring Maquis), with its amber color and caramel or cocoa flavor
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Miellat du maquis (Maquis Honeydew), with its dark color and licorice and caramel taste
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Châtaigneraie (Chestnut Grove) and Maquis d’automne (Autumn Maquis), which have a woody scent and a more or less pronounced bitterness, very popular with top chefs.
Every year in September, the town of Murzo hosts a honey festival. It’s a perfect opportunity to savor this divine food on its own or with a piece of bread.
6. Myrtle and fig jam
Every time we’ve visited Corsica, one of the first things we’ve bought is myrtle and fig jam. It tastes absolutely delicious, and it pairs perfectly with our experience of Corsica’s scents! The jam is wonderful on bread, and especially great with the lovely Corsican cheeses. You can find it all over the island.
7. Myrtle vinegar
Myrtle vinegar has a very unique taste and fragrance. Like all other vinegars, it’s naturally sour, but it has a lovely, mild aroma of myrtle. Myrtle grows wild in Corsica’s maquis and has a delightful, aromatic scent that spreads across the island. The vinegar has a beautiful rosy-red color and tastes heavenly in dressings (see the recipe for “Red Cabbage Salad with Corsican Myrtle Vinegar”).
8. Wild Boar Pâté
It’s a Corsican tradition to serve a variety of pâtés with a meal. Among them is wild boar pâté, made from the semi-wild boars you’ll see all over Corsica. The pâtés come in many varieties and qualities – fresh, canned, or in jars. We particularly enjoyed the coarse, rustic pâtés.
9. Freshly caught shellfish/fish
It almost goes without saying that on a Mediterranean island, you’ll find delicious freshly caught shellfish and fish. We can certainly vouch for that, and it’s one of the pleasures we indulge in – sitting at a seaside restaurant enjoying shellfish in one form or another.
When you shop in the supermarkets, you also have plenty of opportunities to choose the finest fish and shellfish from the delicatessen, and the freshness is undeniable. We personally bought fresh oysters, which we took home and enjoyed – our son even got to try them too.
10. Corsican beer and wine
Corsica produces its own wine – and it’s definitely worth a taste!
The Corsicans have been making their own wine since the 6th century BC, and in recent years, they have developed delicious quality wines full of local character, influenced by the sunny climate, sea breeze, and mountains.
Corsica also brews its own chestnut beer – Pietra, which has a beautiful amber color and a truly delightful taste. Pietra beer and Corsican tapas, a quiet evening, and the scent of the maquis – well, summer doesn’t get much better than that.
These were some of our best picks for Corsican delicacies… Did we miss any? Write to us or leave a comment below, we’d love to be inspired for our next trip!
