A 100% Corsican New Year's Eve celebration +Added to my favoriteItem already present

Local appetizers: cold cuts, oysters, and Corsican sparkling wine

Corsican charcuterie and cheese at Christmas © Sylvain Alessandri

The evening begins with a charcuterie platter from the interior: prisuttu, coppa, and lonzu d'altitude, aged for months in the mountain air of Niolu or Castagniccia.

Figatellu, the star of the season, is grilled over charcoal, its smoky flavor reminiscent of evenings spent by the fire.

To balance these scents of the maquis, there are “Nustrale di Diana” oysters, a salty treasure from the Diana lagoon in the eastern plain, sometimes accompanied by mussels or clams, served with a squeeze of lemon and a glass of dry, mineral Corsican white wine, which can be flavored with clementine zest.

Delicious Corsican clementines ©ATC- Sylvain Alessandri

Clementines, eaten whole or cut into segments and placed on the table, add color to New Year's Eve aperitifs and evoke the orchards of the east coast. Corsican wine, served as a light sparkling wine or muscat for those with a sweet tooth, accompanies all these specialties, which are shared amid laughter and conversation.

Festive starters: sea and mountains on your plate

Taste delicious Corsican oysters ©ATC- Sylvain Alessandri

Throughout the meal, Corsica reveals itself in the diversity of its starters. 

• The sea expresses itself through scallops sautéed in Corsican white wine, seasoned with clementine zest and wild thyme. The pearly, sweet flesh of the shells, combined with the tangy note of citrus fruits, evokes the Mediterranean flavors that have always permeated the island.

• The mountains are not to be outdone. A warm salad combines chestnut flour polenta and grilled figatellu sausage. In Castagniccia, chestnuts reign supreme. They are used to make this thick polenta, which is the perfect accompaniment to hot charcuterie. The salad, seasoned with walnuts, young shoots, and local onions, highlights a contrast of textures and a harmony of flavors between the sweetness of the chestnut, the character of the figatellu, and the crunchiness of the golden pulenta.

Main dishes: Castagniccia, Alta Rocca, and maquis

The main dishes of the Corsican New Year's Eve dinner honor quality meat and ancestral recipes.

Roast lamb or goat with maquis herbs is a staple on many tables. In Alta Rocca, as in the villages of the center, these meats are simmered in white wine, sprinkled with rosemary, myrtle, or thyme, then gently roasted with potatoes and root vegetables. The smell of the roast filling the house heralds the feast.

Corsican wild boar stew, simmered for hours in local red wine and garnished with chestnuts, is a recipe that carries the flavor of the undergrowth, the scent of dead leaves, and the generosity of matured, melt-in-the-mouth meat, gently enhanced by bacon and seasonal vegetables.

As a side dish, chestnut flour polenta or Corsican chestnut soup prolong the taste journey through the forests of Castagniccia.

Cheeses and sweets: brocciu, chestnut, clementine, and citron

Corsican cheeses © Sylvain Alessandri ATC

The cheese platter bridges the gap between savory dishes and sweet treats on New Year's Eve. Mature sheep's milk cheeses, creamy goat's cheeses, and fresh brocciu served plain or in golden fritters are best enjoyed with a slice of sourdough bread and a drizzle of wild honey.

When it comes to dessert, Corsican clementines reveal their full potential. These fresh, vibrant fruits can be enjoyed all over the island, but also in jams, thin tarts, or candied slices with honey.

In some families, Christmas cakes combine chestnut flour, pieces of clementine, and artisanal dark chocolate for rich and balanced flavors. Candied citrons from Cap Corse offer a refined bitterness and a pretty bright yellow color, the signature of the Corsican winter.

Cakes from the Salvatori biscuit factory in Balagne © ATC

Fiadone with brocciu cheese is a light and fragrant way to end a meal. This moist cake, enhanced with lemon or clementine zest, is a must on the New Year's Eve table.

Coffee is then served with delicious, golden-brown frappes: the perfect way to end the meal on a festive, gourmet note.

Food and wine pairings and New Year's Eve atmosphere

Enhancing this Corsican Christmas banquet requires precise and confident food and wine pairings. Aromatic whites from the eastern plain or Patrimoniu (Patrimonio) accompany seafood starters and oysters. 

The powerful reds from Sartè (Sartène) or Aiacciu (Ajaccio), with their aromas of fruit, spices, and maquis, reveal the subtlety of meat dishes, from goat to lamb to stew. 

For dessert, a sweet wine from Balagne prolongs the pleasure of frappes and clementine or chestnut desserts. 

The atmosphere is that of a New Year's Eve celebration in a family home or rural cottage. The fireplace brings young and old together. The meal unfolds to the rhythm of the dishes being served and lively conversations: memories are shared and recipes passed on.

Christmas Eve in Corsica is much more than just a meal. It is a celebration of local produce, local expertise, and the joy of being together. Local products bring a little bit of the island to the table, while supporting producers and artisans. Why not consider spending your next Christmas Eve in the heart of Corsica, surrounded by a roaring fire and island traditions? It is these shared, gourmet, and authentic moments that make up the true magic of a Corsican Christmas.