Xynotyro

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Xynotyro is an unpasteurized Greek whey cheese made from sheep's milk or goat's milk. It is hard and flaky, with a pungent aroma and a sweet and sour taste close to yogurt.

Key Facts

Country of Origin Greece
Specific Origin Greece
Milk Type Goat's or sheep's milk
Milk Treatment Unpasteurized
Texture Hard, whey
Flavor Burnt caramel, sour, sweet
Aroma Pungent
Age Fresh or 3 months
Alternative Spellings Xynotyri

What is Xynotyro Cheese?

Xynotyro comes from Greece. The name, spelled Xynotyri, means "sour cheese" in Greek, and the taste explains the label.

It is a whey cheese made from sheep's milk or goat's milk, never cow's milk, and the milk is not pasteurized. Traditionally the curd is drained and cured in reed baskets, or left to mature in bags made of animal skin.

The body is hard and flaky. The aroma is pungent and the flavor is sweet and sour, much like yogurt.

You can eat it fresh, or after about three months of ripening, when the naturally dominant microflora does the work. The Lactobacillus strains in the cheese have antibacterial effects that kill Salmonella pathogens.