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.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | France |
| Specific Origin | Corsica, France |
| Milk Type | Sheep's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Raw |
| Rind | Natural |
| Texture | Soft to firm |
| Flavor | Earthy |
| Aroma | Herbaceous |
| Colors | White |
| Forms | Squatty square or nest-shaped |
| Age | 1 to 3 months |
| Also Known As | fleur du maquis, petit corse |
What is Brin d'Amour Cheese?
Brin d'amour comes from Corsica and dates to the 1950s. It also goes by fleur du maquis and petit corse. The Brin d'Amour trademark belongs to SARL World Impex, a food trading company based in Bessancourt in the Val-d'Oise, and production is subcontracted to SARL Germain Frères (Corselait), a dairy in Furiani in Haute-Corse.
The cheese is made with raw sheep's milk and built from brocciu. The paste is soft, uncooked, unpressed and non elastic. Its natural rind is dusted with herbs of the maquis: rosemary, savory, fennel, chili peppers and juniper berries. Aging runs one to three months.
Wheels measure 10 to 12 cm and weigh 500 to 700 g. The paste is ivory. Early in aging the cheese is firm and moist, with a fine, slightly tangy paste. Blue gray molds then spread across the rind, the paste hardens and turns grainier, and the cheese absorbs the taste of the herbs wrapped around it.
How Does Brin d'Amour Cheese Compare?
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