TASTE LE TOUR 2013 ep170
Channel: Peter J Warren
Date: 2020-06-27

Corsica
This is the attractive main square of Ajaccio the largest city in Corsica.

Napoleon Bonaparte was born only a few hundred metres from here in 1769 and he is commemorated with statues and street names in various parts of the town.

Voice over

A visit to the very atmospheric Ajaccio Sunday farmer's market is the most pleasant way to discover the best food of the Region. 

There is a charming blend of the fresh and the rustic. 

Gabriel to camera

The Corsicans love their cheese, it is on offer in every menu.

There is goat milk and ewes milk cheese and it is very tasty because the animals are high in the mountain where there are lots of wild herbs.


Voice over 
 
The east and the west of the Island of beauty are divided by a magnificent mountainous range with the highest peaks reaching almost three thousand metres.

I am visiting a fromagerie next to the town of Corte to learn how the most famous fresh Corsican ricotta style cheese called brocciu is made.

Ilda the cheese maker makes a hard - matured fromage and the fresh Brocciu with the same milk.

Once the curd and the whey of the milk has been separated with rennet, Ilda drains the soft curd to make the very tasty fromage that she presses and shapes into moulds. 

Those superb cheeses mature for several months in a special cave. 

The Brocciu is then made by warming the ewe’s milk whey to about fifty-five degrees before adding salt and a small quantity of fresh milk.

This preparation is then slowly brought to a temperature of eighty degrees. 

Ilda stirs the liquid continuously to stop it from sticking to the base of the pot and magically at this stage the solids separate from the liquid.

The beautiful warm and creamy fresh brocciu is then moulded to drain.

Ready to be tasted

Gabriel to camera

Yum this is so delicious

Fiadone Corse
Corsican Cheese Cake

Voice over

This classic Corsican Cake is called Fiadone and it's made with fresh ewes' milk cheese.

I first place some of the fresh ricotta-style cheese in a muslin cloth over a colander for one hour to drain off the excess water.

I then place the cheese in a bowl with two tablespoons of sugar, the juice of half a lemon, the zest of one lemon and one tablespoon of fruit brandy and mix until smooth.

Gabriel to camera

'With the fruit brandy and the lemon-flavour, the French cheese preparation is so delicious.'

Voice over

Next I beat five eggs with 150 g of sugar for about five minutes until light and foamy, and combine the two mixtures delicately before transferring to a buttered cake tin.

I bake the cake at 180°C for about forty-five minutes.

It's un-moulded when cold and served dusted with icing sugar.  It's popular with fresh berries.

Voilà!  The Fiadone, the most popular Corsican family cake.

Gabriel to camera

Tomorrow I am in the beautiful town of Calvi on the west coast of Corsica a region famous for making great wine.