Sheep Milk Cheeses from France
Discover cheeses made from sheep milk in France, from historic recipes to contemporary creations.
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 …
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.
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 …
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.
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.
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 …
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.
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 …
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.
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 …
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.
Pyrénées Brebis
Pyrénées Brebis is a traditional sheep's milk cheese from the French Pyrenees. It has a firm texture and a rich, buttery flavor, with nutty undertones that become more pronounced as the cheese ages. Often enjoyed on its own, it can …
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.
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.
Fondant de Brebis
Fondant de Brebis is a soft, artisan cheese made from unpasteurized sheep's milk in the Pyrenees region of France. This cheese has a pale yellow color and is known for its sweet flavor, making it a pleasant choice for those …
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 …
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.
Gastanberra
Gastanberra is a French cheese made from sheep's milk with a fat content of 45%. It has a soft texture that makes it easy to spread or enjoy on its own. The cheese offers a mild and creamy flavor, with …
Pérail de Brebis
Pérail de Brebis is a traditional French cheese made from unpasteurized sheep's milk. It has a soft and creamy texture, making it an artisan favorite. The cheese offers a full-flavored and strong taste, characteristic of sheep's milk cheeses. Its aroma …
Also Made With Sheep Milk
These cheeses are mainly made from another milk, but some versions use sheep milk.
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.
Tomme
Tomme is a class of cheese made mainly in the French Alps and in Switzerland from cow's, ewe's or goat's milk. Most are made from skimmed milk left over from butter making, so they are generally low in fat, and …
Tomme des Pyrénées
Tomme des Pyrénées is a mild pressed cheese from the French Pyrenees, made from raw or pasteurized cow's milk. It is known for its supple paste, slightly salty taste, and the black or gold wax skin that covers many wheels.
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 …
Calenzana (Calinzanincu)
Calenzana, also known as Calinzanincu, is a semi-soft artisan cheese from Upper Corsica, France. Made from unpasteurized goat's or sheep's milk, it presents a strong flavor that reflects its rustic origins. The cheese has a pale yellow color and is …
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 …
Aubisque Pyrenees
Aubisque Pyrenees is a semi-hard cheese from the Béarnaise region in Pyrénées-Atlantique, France. Made from a blend of cow's and sheep's milk, this cheese offers a mild and smooth flavor that is easy on the palate. Its natural rind adds …
Mascares
Mascares is a fresh, soft cheese made from a blend of goat's and sheep's milk in the Provencale region of France. It has a creamy white interior and is traditionally wrapped in leaves, which adds a touch of rustic appeal. …
Fromage Corse
Fromage fermier de Corse is a farmhouse cheese made on Corsican farms from the raw milk of the shepherd's own goats or sheep. Production is seasonal and small, and most of it is sold straight from the farm or at …