Batzos 
Batzos is a Greek brined cheese made from sheep's milk, goat's milk, or a mixture of the two. It is rindless, semi-hard to hard, full of irregular holes, and salty with a slightly piquant edge. It has held EU PDO status since 1996.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Greece |
| Specific Origin | Western Macedonia, northwest Greece |
| Protection | PDO (1996) |
| Milk Type | Goat's and sheep's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Raw or pasteurized |
| Fat Content | Low-Fat |
| Moisture Content | Up to 45 percent |
| Rind | None |
| Texture | Hard , Semi-Hard |
| Flavor | Sourish and slightly piquant |
| Aroma | Pleasant |
| Colors | White |
| Forms | Slices, salted, placed in tins, covered with brine |
| Age | At least 3 months |
| Also Known As | Μπάτζος |
What is Batzos Cheese?
Batzos comes from northern Greece. Its protected production area covers Western Macedonia, Central Macedonia and Thessaly. Greece recognized the name in January 1994, and a correction that February added Thessaly to the area and clarified that the body is semi-hard to hard. Registration at European Community level came through Commission Regulation (EC) No 1107/96, which entered into force on June 21, 1996.
The specification allows raw or pasteurized sheep's or goat's milk, or a mixture, from locally adapted breeds raised in the area and fed on its flora. The milk is partially skimmed, warmed to 28 to 32 °C (82 to 90 °F), and coagulated with rennet for about 50 minutes. The curd is broken into small pieces, stirred, heated to as much as 45 °C (113 °F), and drained in cheesecloth. The following day it is cut into slices and dry-salted with coarse salt. After roughly five days it goes into containers of brine at 10 to 12 percent salt and matures for at least three months. All of this happens inside the designated region.
In the traditional method, the thickening milk is stirred or beaten again and again so that much of its fat passes into the whey. That fat-rich whey then makes butter when sheep's milk is used, or Manouri when the milk is goat or mixed. Batzos itself stays comparatively low in fat.
The cheese has no rind. Its body runs white to pale yellow and holds many irregular holes, and the taste is salty and lightly piquant with a sour note. Moisture is capped at 45 percent by weight, with at least 25 percent fat in dry matter.
Batzos is eaten plain, fried, or served with eggs.
How Does Batzos Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Batzos against.
