Brocciu is a whey cheese

Whey cheese

There are several types of cheese, with around 500 different varieties recognised by the International Dairy Federation, over 400 identified by Walter and Hargrove, over 500 by Burkhalter, and over 1,000 by Sandine and Elliker...

 produced from sheep milk

Sheep milk

Sheep's milk is the milk of domestic sheep. Though not widely drunk in any modern culture, sheep's milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the Feta of Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the Pecorino Romano , the Pecorino...

 or goat milk. This is notable as a substitute for lactose

Lactose

Lactose is a disaccharide sugar that is found most notably in milk and is formed from galactose and glucose. Lactose makes up around 2~8% of milk , although the amount varies among species and individuals. It is extracted from sweet or sour whey. The name comes from or , the Latin word for milk,...

-rich Italian Ricotta

Ricotta

Ricotta is an Italian dairy product made from sheep milk whey left over from the production of cheese. Although typically referred to as ricotta cheese, ricotta is not properly a cheese because it is not produced by coagulation of casein...

, as brocciu does not contain lactose.

Produced on the island of Corsica

Corsica

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....

, Brocciu is considered the national food. Like Ricotta, it is a young white cheese and is paired frequently with Corsican white wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

s.

The word brocciu is related to the French word "brousse" and means fresh cheese made with goat or ewe's milk.

Production of Brocciu: Brocciu is made from whey

Whey

Whey or Milk Serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is manufactured during the making of rennet types of hard cheese like cheddar or Swiss cheese...

. First, the whey is heated to a low temperature of just a few degrees below 100 °F and then ewe's milk is added and further heated to just a bit below 200 °F. After heating, the cheese is drained, the whey removed, and the cheese is finished.

Serving of Brocciu: the cheese is ready for consumption immediately, although ripening

Ripening

Ripening is a process in fruits that causes them to become more palatable. In general, a fruit becomes sweeter, less green, and softer as it ripens. Even though the acidity of fruit increases as it ripens, the higher acidity level does not make the fruit seem tarter, which can lead to the...

 is acceptable between perhaps a couple weeks to a month. However, the ideal affinage time for Brocciu is 48 hours to one month.
Other Corsican sheep's-milk cheeses are Asco

Asco

Asco can refer to:* Ascó, a village in Catalonia, Spain** Ascó Nuclear Power Plant* Asco, Haute-Corse** the Asco meteorite of 1805, which fell in Corse, France * American Society of Clinical Oncology...

, Brin d'amour (also known as Fleur du Maquis), A filetta, Sarteno and Niolo.