Corsican Fig Jam
We love jam – on bread, a fresh crispy baguette, brioche, or toast. But mention Corsican fig jam, and it takes on another delicious and serious role: it’s served primarily with strong cheese.
Perhaps you know that my husband, Antoine, is Corsican (Colonna in Corsica is like Smith in England). Cheeses from his “Island of Beauty” (l’île de beauté) are made from sheep’s milk or goat’s milk and many of them are, well, rather pungent. So the addition of fig jam is the perfect marriage on the cheeseboard since its sweetness helps put out the fire.
A Corsican Cheese Fire?
I say fire, since some Corsican cheeses can be so powerful that Antoine’s grandmother used to keep the robust ones under the chimney, letting their aromatic fumes drift off around the mountain village. She claimed that if she kept one in her fridge, she would have to throw it out: the fridge not the cheese!
As a naïve newcomer to the village, I was introduced to Casgiu Merzu by Antoine’s grinning uncle, or Tonton. Rather than be Jill, I’ll be Frank: it’s the most dangerous cheese I know on this planet since it looks like an innocent little potted cheese with a knife or spoon. Imagine roquefort but multiply its strength by about ten. This has to be the cheese that exploded the boat in Asterix in Corsica. I downed the whole bowl of fig jam!
Fig Jam and Corsican Chimneys
Now that it’s such a glorious fig season to see out the summer, I’m preserving the figs as much as I can so that we can enjoy the cheeseboard en famille in Corsica again this Christmas.
I wonder if Father Christmas would dare to come down the chimney?
Best Fig Jam
Just as I was about to post this fig jam recipe, I’ve had an exciting delivery thanks to the lovely people at Terraillon. It’s a digital jam scale! Isn’t that clever? (see my review here) I’m off to stock up on more end of summer fruits and try it out for you for another of my favourite preserves next week. You’ll see from the recipe below that it takes up to 2 hours to cook the fruit, which is longer than I would cook other jams but the result is a beautifully rich, dark colour and the flavours of the figs just shine.
Oh, I’m dying here! I love the comment about having to throw out the fridge because the cheese is so strong! So funny! I’m glad I haven’t tasted that super strong cheese as it sounds pretty lethal!
And why am I not surprised to see an orange flavor in your fig jam? Yet another thing we have in common! You’ll probably guess what is in mine, too! 🙂
Lovely post, Jill! Sorry I missed it until now! xx
Yes, the cheeses in Corsica are dynamite and without fig jam, there could be tears! All incredible. I love an orange touch in there – just like the Corsicans do with prunes, too.
Beautiful fig jam. I was in Corsica with my mother in 1974 to visit her aunt. We sat down when we first arrived outside her bar tabac, and she brought out goodies, including casu marzu. Nothing more needs to be said. ?
Jings – you were brave! You can probably still taste it from 1974… Corsican casgiu merzu is not for the faint-hearted! Thankfully there’s fig jam, lol.
I have not tasted fig jam but it looks absolutely delicious Jill. What a great idea having it with cheese. Will definitely try it. I also like the idea of the digital jam scale. Will investigate.
Fig jam is sold everywhere in Corsica but I have to say that homemade is brilliant, especially since they’re in abundance this year. Hope you try it Thomasina…
This jam reminds me of my nana’s fig jam (she used to add blanched almonds to hers). Bookmarked for when I can get my hands on enough of them! PS: Can’t wait to hear more about the scale – looked cool on IG stories!
So interesting on the almonds added, Mardi. Glad you saw the Instagram Story today – yes, it’s quite a scale. I’m not into gadgets but I’m totally sold on this one. It even has a pause button and a timer …. and everything is just perfect for making jam! Made plum jam this morning and it was a treat.