Sheep Milk Cheeses from France
Discover cheeses made from sheep milk in France, from historic recipes to contemporary creations.
Blue
Blue cheese is any cheese made with edible mold cultures that form blue-green spots and veins through the paste. It ranges from mild and slightly sweet to salty and sharp, and from almost liquid to hard.
Roquefort
Roquefort is a blue cheese made from raw Lacaune sheep's milk in southern France. Only cheese ripened in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may carry the name. It is tangy and creamy, with no rind and a sharp bite …
Brin d'Amour
Brin d'amour is a Corsican raw sheep's milk cheese created in the 1950s. It is known for a natural rind dusted with herbs of the maquis, which pass their flavor into the soft ivory paste as the cheese ages.
Ossau-Iraty
Ossau-Iraty is a sheep's milk cheese from the Northern Basque Country and Béarn in south-western France. Uncooked and pressed, it is smooth, creamy and firm, and has held appellation d'origine contrôlée status since 1980.
Brocciu
Brocciu is a Corsican cheese made from a mix of whey and ewe's milk. It is eaten fresh or ripened for a few weeks, and it holds less lactose than Italian ricotta, which it often replaces.
Abbaye de Belloc
Abbaye de Belloc is a semi-hard cheese from the Pays Basque in the French Pyrenees, made from unpasteurized Manech ewe milk and aged 6 weeks to 6 months. It is known for a nutty, caramelized flavor and a lanolin aroma.
Le Brebiou
Le Brebiou is a semi-soft, artisan cheese made from pasteurized sheep's milk in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region of France. It has a soft-ripened, bloomy rind and a white interior. The cheese offers a mild, milky, and sweet flavor, making it easy …
Etorki
Etorki is a firm sheep milk cheese from Mauléon-Licharre in the French Basque country. Pressed but not cooked and matured for seven weeks, it is known for a smooth, supple, velvety body sold in ten-pound cylinders.
Niolo
Niolo is a Corsican sheep's or goat's milk cheese made only in the Niolo region, the high valley of the Golo. It is a flat square tomme with a washed ivory rind and a sticky paste that runs from mild …
P'tit Basque
P'tit Basque is a French sheep's milk cheese that Lactalis introduced in 1997, sold in small wheels of about 1.25 lb (0.57 kg). It ages for 70 days, smells pungent, and tastes mild for a sheep's milk cheese.
Ardi Gasna
Ardi Gasna is a French sheep milk cheese, counted among the country's traditional sheep milk varieties alongside Roquefort, Ossau-Iraty and Abbaye de Bellocq.
Brebirousse d'Argental
Brebirousse d'Argental is a French cheese made from pasteurized sheep's milk. It features a soft texture and a creamy, sweet flavor profile. The cheese has a grassy, milky aroma that enhances its appeal. Its characteristic orange color comes from the …
Baskeriu
Baskeriu is a cheese from the French Basque Country and Midi-Pyrénées regions of France. It's made from pasteurized sheep's milk and has a 50% fat content. The cheese has a semi-soft texture, making it easy to slice and enjoy. Its …
Pérail
Pérail is a soft sheep's milk cheese from Aveyron in southern France, sold in small rounds with an ivory, wrinkly rind. Older wheels taste distinctly sheepy.
Briquette de Brebis
Briquette de Brebis is a soft cheese made from unpasteurized sheep's milk in the Averyon region of France. It has a natural rind and is known for its white color. The cheese delivers a nutty flavor and aroma, offering a …
Fleur du Maquis
Fleur du Maquis, also sold as Brin d'amour, is a Corsican raw sheep's milk cheese created in the 1950s. Its natural rind is dusted with maquis herbs, which the paste absorbs as it ages.
Pate de Fromage
Pâte de Fromage is a French cheese made from either goat's or sheep's milk and has a fat content of 50%. It is known for its soft texture, making it easy to spread or enjoy on its own. The cheese …
Matocq
Matocq is a semi-hard cheese from France made from a blend of cow's and sheep's milk. It is crafted using unpasteurized milk, giving it a rich character. The cheese has a creamy color and a processed texture, making it easy …
Venaco
Venaco is a farmhouse cheese from the village of Venaco in central Corsica, made from raw sheep's and goat's milk. It has a soft paste, a washed rind, a mild taste and a strong goat or sheep smell.
Le Fium Orbo
Le Fium Orbo is a French cheese made from either goat's or sheep's milk. It has a soft texture and a natural rind that contributes to its creamy and smooth consistency. With a fat content of 50%, this cheese offers …