Kefalotyri or kefalotiri ( is a hard, salty white

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

made from

sheep milk Sheep milk is the milk of domestic sheep. It is commonly used to make cultured dairy products, such as cheese. Some of the most popular sheep cheeses include feta (Greece), pecorino romano (Italy), Roquefort (France) and Manchego (Spain). ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

(or both) in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. A similar cheese,

Kefalograviera Kefalograviera (Greek language, Greek: Κεφαλογραβιέρα) is a hard table cheese produced traditionally from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk. According to the PDO filing with the EU (see below) the name applies o ...

, also made from sheep or goat milk (or both), is sometimes sold outside Greece and Cyprus as Kefalotyri.Ridgway, J., ''The Cheese Companion'' (2002), Depending on the mixture of milk used in the process, the color can vary between yellow and white. A very hard cheese, kefalotyri can be consumed as is, fried in

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

for a dish called

saganaki In Greek cuisine, saganaki () () is any one of a variety of dishes prepared in a small frying pan, the best-known being an appetizer of fried cheese. It is commonly flambéed in North America. Etymology The dishes are named for the frying ...

, or added to foods such as pasta dishes, meat, or cooked vegetables, and is especially suited for grating. It is also used along with

feta cheese Feta ( ; ) is a Greek brined white cheese made from sheep milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat milk. It is soft, with small or no holes, and no skin. Crumbly with a slightly grainy texture, it is formed into large blocks and aged in b ...

in the vast majority of recipes for

spanakopita Savory spinach pie is a pastry eaten throughout Southeastern Europe. The filling is made of chopped spinach (sometimes chard) and usually feta or white cheese, and egg. Etymology and history Turkey ''Ispanaklı Selanik Böreği'' and/or ' ...

, though sometimes substituted with the broadly similar Italian-derived cheeses

Romano Romano may refer to: Food * Pecorino Romano, a hard, salty Italian cheese * Romano cheese, an American English and Canadian English term for a class of cheeses Places Italy Municipalities in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Latium * Arcinazzo Ro ...

Parmesan Parmesan (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian Types of cheese#Hard cheese, hard, Types of cheese#Granular, granular cheese produced from Dairy cattle, cow's milk and aged at least 12 months. It is a Grana (cheese), grana-type cheese, along wit ...

. This is a popular and well-known cheese, establishing its roots in Greece during the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

era.Harbutt, J., ''The World Encyclopedia of Cheese'' (2006), It can be found in some gourmet or speciality stores in other countries. Young cheeses take two to three months to ripen. An aged kefalotyri, a year old or more, is drier with a stronger flavour, and may be eaten as a

meze ''Meze'' (also spelled ''mezze'' or ''mezé'') (, ) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in Eastern Mediterranean cuisines. It is similar to Spanish cuisine, Spanish tapas and Italian cuisine, Italian Antipasto, antipasti. A ''me ...

with

ouzo Ouzo (, ) is a dry anise-flavored aperitif that is widely consumed in Cyprus and Greece. It is made from rectified spirits that have undergone a process of distillation and flavoring. Its taste is similar to other anise liquors like pastis, sam ...

, or grated on food.

References

Greek cheeses Cypriot cheeses Cypriot cuisine Goat's-milk cheeses Sheep's-milk cheeses {{Cheese-stub Byzantine cuisine

See also

References