The AnyCheese Holiday Gift Guide

Cheeses from Greece

A guide to cheeses from Greece, highlighting the country's most notable and diverse varieties.

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Manouri

Manouri is a Greek semi-soft fresh whey cheese made from goat or sheep milk as a by-product of feta production. Cream added to the whey makes it richer and far less salty than feta.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Smooth, dense
Flavor: Rich, milky, tangy, slightly citrusy

Feta

Feta is a Greek brined white cheese made from sheep's milk or a mix of sheep and goat's milk. It is crumbly and slightly grainy, tangy and salty, and it anchors dishes like Greek salad and spanakopita.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Goat's and sheep's milk
Texture: Soft, white, aged in brine
Flavor: Sharp to mild

Kopanisti

Kopanisti is a salty, spicy PDO cheese from the Cyclades, made on Mykonos for more than 300 years. Repeated kneading during ripening spreads its microbial flora through the cheese and gives it a sharp peppery bite.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Whole raw cow’s, ewe’s, and goat’s milk or mixtures, adapted to the region
Texture: Spreadable
Flavor: Intense salty and peppery

Katiki Domokou

Katiki Domokou is a soft white Greek cheese made from goat and sheep milk in Domokos, Phthiotis. It has protected designation of origin status, a low fat content, and it usually goes on toast or dakos.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Sheep’s milk, goat’s milk, or mixtures
Texture: Spreadable
Flavor: Sour, refreshing

Anthotyro

Anthotyros is a Greek cheese made from sheep or goat milk mixed with whey, about nine parts milk to one. It comes fresh, soft and sweet with no salt, or dried into a hard salty cheese similar to Mizithra.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Hard, whey
Flavor: Salty, tangy

San Michali

San Michali is a hard cow's milk cheese from the Greek island of Syros, aged at least four months. It carries PDO status, tastes salty and piquant, and is one of the most expensive cheeses in Greece.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Cow’s milk
Texture: Compact, with very small irregular holes
Flavor: Salty, peppery

Kasseri

Kasseri is a pale yellow, medium-hard to hard Greek cheese made from sheep milk with at most 20% goat's milk. It belongs to the pasta filata family and is best known as the cheese in saganaki and kasseropita.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Goat's and sheep's milk
Texture: Firm to hard
Flavor: Rich

Sfela

Sfela is a semi-hard cheese from the Peloponnese region of Greece. Made from sheep's milk or a mix of sheep and goat milk, it is often fried due to its high melting point. Sfela has a salty, tangy flavor, making …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Raw sheep’s milk or combination with goat’s milk
Texture: Semi-Hard
Flavor: Unique personality

Ladotyri Mytilinis

Ladotyri Mytilinis is a hard PDO cheese from the Greek island of Lesbos, made from sheep milk or a sheep and goat blend. Its name means oil cheese, after the extra virgin olive oil it is stored in.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Ewe’s milk or mixtures with up to 30% goat’s milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Strong, salty

Kalathaki Limnou

Kalathaki Limnou is a fresh brined cheese from the Greek island of Lemnos, made from sheep's milk with up to 30 percent goat's milk. Protected as a PDO since 1996, it is named for the small basket molds that leave …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Pasteurized sheep's milk, Goat’s milk (up to 30%)
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Pleasant, slightly acidic

Xygalo Siteias

Xygalo Siteias is a traditional Greek cheese from the region of Sitia in Crete. It has a PDO status and is made from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk. Xygalo Siteias has a creamy, yoghurt-like texture …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Raw goat’s or ewe’s milk or a mixture
Texture: Spreadable
Flavor: Fresh, slightly acidic, mildly salty

Kefalograviera

Kefalograviera is a hard Greek table cheese made from sheep's milk or a mix of sheep's and goat's milk. It tastes salty, smells rich, and shows up most often fried as saganaki or grated over pasta.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Sheep’s milk or mixtures with up to 10% goat’s milk; sometimes cow's and sheep's milk (60:40)
Texture: Firm, elastic
Flavor: Pleasant

Manoura

Manoura is a traditional cheese from the island of Sifnos in Greece. It's aged in wine sediment, which imparts a unique flavor profile—rich and pungent with a hint of wine. Made from sheep's milk or a mix of sheep's and …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Raw ovine milk or a mixture with caprine milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Traditional

Krasotyri

Krasotyri, or "wine cheese," is a semi-hard cheese from Greece that is aged in wine lees, giving it a unique purple rind and a distinct grape-flavored undertone. This cheese has a creamy, rich texture and a subtle wine-infused flavor, making …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Sheep or caprine milk, or mixtures
Texture: Semihard
Flavor: Slightly sour

Galotyri

Galotyri is a fresh Greek cheese from Epirus and Thessaly, made from pasteurized sheep's milk that is sometimes mixed with goat's milk. White, creamy and lightly tart, it is usually spread on bread, and it has held PDO status since …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Sheep’s milk, or a combination of sheep’s and goat’s milk
Texture: Soft, curd
Flavor: Moderately sour

Anevato

Anevato is a Greek fresh cheese made from sheep's milk, goat's milk or a blend of the two in the mountains of Grevena and Voio in Western Macedonia. It is white, spreadable and grainy like cottage cheese, lightly salty and …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Ewe's or goat's milk or mixtures of both
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Pleasant sourish and refreshing flavor

Pichtogalo Chanion

Pichtogalo Chanion is a traditional Greek cheese from the region of Chania in Crete. Made from goat’s or sheep’s milk, it has a rich, creamy texture and a mild, slightly tangy flavor. It’s often used in Cretan cooking for pies, …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Sheep's or goat's milk
Texture: Soft, spreadable
Flavor: Sweet and acid, fresh and pleasant

Metsovone

Metsovone is a semi-hard smoked pasta filata cheese from the Aromanian village of Metsovo in Epirus, Greece. It has carried European protected designation of origin status since 1996 and is one of the village's best known foods.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Cow's milk, Ewe's or Goat's milk
Texture: Semihard to hard
Flavor: Slightly salty and piquant

Xynomyzithra Kritis

Xynomyzithra is a Greek whey cheese made from ewes' and/or goats' milk, the sour version of Mizithra. Soft, snow-white and moist, it is best known served with honey and baked into small Cretan cheese pies called kalitsounia.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Sheep’s and goat’s milk whey, or a combination
Texture: Soft, creamy
Flavor: Sour, a bit acidic, sweetish

Graviera Naxou

Graviera Naxou is a yellow hard cheese from the Greek island of Naxos, made with pasteurized cow's milk and up to 20 percent sheep's milk. It is known for its delicate, slightly sharp aroma and its PDO status, held since …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Predominantly cow's milk, sheep’s or goat’s milk (up to 20%)
Texture: Elastic

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