With its mountains and dry pastures, Greece is a land of sheep and goats rather than cows. So most Greek cheeses are made from sheep's and goat's milk, often mixed. About twenty hold the European Protected Designation of Origin.
The main cheeses
| Cheese | Type | Milk | Features and use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feta PDO | White, brined | Sheep and goat | Salty and crumbly: salads, pies, baked |
| Graviera | Hard | Sheep (Crete), cow (Naxos) | Sweet and nutty; those of Crete, Naxos and Agrafa are PDO; table cheese or fried |
| Kefalotyri | Hard | Sheep and goat | Salty and sharp, for grating over pasta or frying |
| Kefalograviera PDO | Semi-hard | Sheep | Between graviera and kefalotyri; the favourite for saganaki |
| Kasseri PDO | Semi-hard, stretched curd | Sheep | Mild and stringy, great in toasties and baked |
| Ladotyri Mytilinis PDO | Hard, kept in oil | Sheep | A Lesbos speciality |
| Mizithra | Fresh or aged | Sheep and goat whey | Ricotta-like; aged, it is grated over pasta |
| Anthotyros | Fresh | Whey and milk | Soft and delicate, also with honey |
| Manouri PDO | Fresh | Sheep whey and cream | Creamy and mild, excellent with honey and fruit |
| Xinomizithra PDO | Fresh, sour | Sheep and goat | A Cretan speciality |
| Katiki Domokou PDO | Fresh, spreadable | Sheep and goat | Creamy and slightly tangy, from Thessaly |
Island cheeses
The islands make very distinctive cheeses:
- San Michali PDO from Syros, a hard, sharp cheese.
- Arseniko from Naxos, aged, and Naxos graviera PDO, from cow's milk.
- Kopanisti PDO from Mykonos and the Cyclades, a spicy fermented cream.
- Kalathaki PDO from Lemnos, a brined white cheese shaped like a little basket.
- Cretan graviera and staka, a cream used in cooking.
- Ladotyri from Lesbos and kefalotyri from the Ionian Islands.
Saganaki
Saganaki is one of the best-loved mezedes: a slice of hard cheese such as kefalograviera or kasseri, floured and fried in a small two-handled pan, the sagani, which gives it its name. It is served piping hot with lemon. In Greek restaurants in America it is flambéed with brandy to cries of "Opa!", a custom rare in Greece.
Cheese in sweets
Fresh cheeses are used in sweets too: Cretan kalitsounia with mizithra, melopita from Sifnos with mizithra and honey, Thessaloniki's cheese bougatsa.
Taking them home
Aged cheeses such as graviera, kefalotyri and kasseri travel well vacuum-packed. Within the EU there are no limits on dairy products for personal use; on planes soft or brined cheeses fall under liquid rules for hand luggage, so put them in the hold.
See also Greek cuisine and what to buy in Greece.