Top ranking Greek cheeses
Dear cheese lovers! This article goes for you! Based on the ratings from tasteatlas.com for June 2022, Greece gets credits for 13 cheeses, which are on the list with the top 50 cheeses from all over the world. Greece has a tradition of many centuries in the production of cheese. It can be used in many dishes: in a salad, as a meze served with wine, in a main dish or as a side dish, or even in desserts. Almost every region of Greece has its own traditional way of producing cheese and more than 60 different types of cheese have been recorded. Below are the 13 top-rated and in world’s best 50 Greek cheeses: Kalathaki Limnou- It is a white cheese similar to feta and it is usually consumed as a table cheese served with fruits, but also in Greek salad. It is salty and has a mild and pleasant flavour. According to the traditional method, the curd is put in a kalathaki ("small basket") for draining and organic acidification. Graviera Naxou – Graviera is a slightly salted cheese with a rich taste that matures for at least 3 months. It can be served as an appetizer, fried and eaten as a snack, or grated over pasta. Metsovone – Metsovone is a smoked cheese from Metsovo mountainous region. Its taste is rich, slightly salty and spicy and is served as an appetizer or with a glass of local Vlachiko or Debina wine. Kefalotyri- It is a hard cheese that dates back to the Byzantine period. There are two types of it, young Kefalotyri (maturing for at least 3 months) and aged Kefalotyri (maturing for at least one year) with a stronger flavour. Graviera Kritis - This cheese has a long history, and it is the best-known Greek graviera cheese. Its taste is slightly salty and nutty, and it can be served as an appetizer or grated and used in salads or soups. Galotyri – Galotyri is creamy soft white cheese, made from milk and yogurt and has a fresh taste. It is mostly produced during August from the fatty summer milk of sheep and goats. It has fewer calories than feta cheese, making it a tasty and much healthier alternative. San Michali - This hard cheese is obtained exclusively from the milk of cows bred on the island of Syros and has a buttery taste. It can be served as an appetizer, and it is also used as an ingredient in soufflés or omelettes. Kefalograviera- It is a hard cheese made from sheep’s and goat’s milk, a tasty cross between Kefalotyri, a salty, intensely flavoured cheese, and the mellow Graviera cheese. It is a new type of cheese, created in the ‘60s. Kopanisti - The flavour of this cheese is often described as spicy and peppery and is produced on Tinos and Mykonos islands. The cheese is mainly served as an appetizer with ouzo, retsina, or tsikoudia, and is often used in sandwiches as is has a soft spreadable texture. Ladotyri Mytilinis - Ladotyri Mytilinis is a hard table cheese with a quite salty and spicy taste. It is usually enjoyed in various dishes and salads and paired with light, fruity wines. Xinomyzithra Kritis- It is a white soft cheese with a sweet and sour taste that can be found on Crete. Its texture can vary from creamy to granular. Kasseri - Kasseri has a mild buttery taste and is usually consumed in sandwiches or grated on top of casserole dishes, like Giouvetsi. Enjoy it with a glass of red Agiorgitiko or a strong white like Roditis. Anthotyro -You can find this cheese in many parts of Greece. It has a mild flavour and you can taste it either as a soft white cheese or a hard cheese grated on Greek pasta. Try it also with fruit and different types of dry white wines such as Debina, Malagousia, or sweet ones like Muscat of Alexandria or Muscat of Samos.
