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Sheep Milk Cheeses from France

Discover cheeses made from sheep milk in France, from historic recipes to contemporary creations.

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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.

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow, Sheep, Goat
Texture: Creamy , Crumbly , Granular , Soft
Flavor: Sharp, Tangy, Savory, Salty, Pungent

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 …

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Moist, very creamy
Flavor: Mild to strong

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.

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Soft to firm
Flavor: Earthy

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.

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Homogeneous, uncooked, pressed
Flavor: Fruity, herbaceous, nutty

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.

Country: France
Milk Type: Goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Soft, creamy
Flavor: Meltingly creamy, saltier when matured

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.

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Semi-hard, artisan
Flavor: Burnt caramel

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 …

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Semi-soft, artisan, soft-ripened
Flavor: Mild, milky, sweet

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.

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Firm, pulp pressed, not cooked
Flavor: Burnt caramel, sweet

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 …

Country: France
Milk Type: Goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Mild, sharp or strong depending on aging

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.

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Semi-soft, artisan
Flavor: Creamy, nutty, sweet

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.

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Hard, artisan
Flavor: Mild, nutty, sharp

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 …

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Creamy, sweet

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 …

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Semi-soft
Flavor: Buttery, nutty

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.

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Distinctly sheepy in older cheeses

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 …

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Nutty

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.

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Semi-soft, artisan
Flavor: Citrusy, mild

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 …

Country: France
Milk Type: Goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Soft

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 …

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's and sheep's milk
Texture: Semi-hard, processed
Flavor: Acidic, nutty

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.

Country: France
Milk Type: Goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Soft, artisan, brined
Flavor: Full-flavored

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 …

Country: France
Milk Type: Goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Soft