Best Southeastern European Raw Milk Cheese Types
This semi-hard cheese is traditionally produced from sheep or goat milk, or a mixture of the two. The milk used to make this cheese comes from breeds reared traditionally in the Messinia and Lakonia prefectures, where this cheese has been produced for more than 100 years.
To make Sfela, the curd has to be divided into pieces and reheated. Afterwards, the pieces are drained using cheesecloth, and they are lightly pressed and cut into small strips ('sfelas') and salted. The strips are stored in tin cans full of brine for at least three months to mature.
Arseniko Naxou is a Greek cheese originating from the island of Naxos, hence the name. The word arseniko means male or masculine. The cheese is made from raw sheep’s and goat’s milk with the addition of whey.
After it thickens, the cheese is drained in specially designed baskets known as tirovola. In the beginning, its flavor is sweet, but after a few months it develops a spicy and aromatic flavor.
This semi-hard cheese is traditionally produced from sheep milk (sometimes with the addition of no more than 20% goat milk). It is made in Macedonia, Thessaly, and Xanthi and Lesvos prefectures. This cheese has been produced in Greece since the 19th century.
Regulations require Kasseri to ripen for at least three months, although it is usually left to mature for six to twelve months. Younger versions of Kasseri have a delicate flavor that is quite sweet and tangy, while the aged ones become salty and piquant, bearing a slight resemblance to parmesan cheese.
Metsovone is a hard or semi-hard smoked table cheese, produced from cow's milk or alternatively with a mixture of cow's milk with up to 20% sheep’s or goat’s milk. It has been made in the Metsovo mountain region for more than 50 years from locally reared animals' milk.
During the manufacturing, it is put in cylindrical molds that are placed in cold water to make the cheese more compact and afterwards placed in pickle. After the drying, the maturation lasts, at least, three months. Finally, it is smoked for a couple of days.
THE BEST Metsovone Cheeses
This semi-hard cheese has been produced from goat or sheep milk, or a blend of the two, in the town of Arachova below mount Parnassus in central Greece for at least a century. The milk is taken from breeds which have adapted to the mountainous region, and their diet is based on local herbs and plants.
The cheese is curdled, and the curd is divided and put into special molds or baskets, where it is salted and dried. The cheeses have a compact structure, a characteristic cylindrical shape, a pale yellow color, and a striped appearance that results from the reed mats on which they are placed to dry. Formaella Arachovas Parnassou is a cheese with a very pleasant taste and aroma, and it is usually eaten plain or either fried or grilled as an ingredient in typical regional dishes.
Feta is the most famous Greek cheese, affectionately called 'the princess of cheeses'. The cheese is made from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk (the latter should not exceed 30%). It is produced in the regions of Macedonia, Thessaly, Thrace, Epirus, the Peloponnese, and Central Greece.
Feta is traditionally produced with non-pasteurized milk, although nowadays the use of pasteurized milk is also allowed. The cheese is made in large square or triangle-shaped molds and preserved in wooden barrels or tin containers filled with brine in order to keep it fresh and to preserve its acidity.
THE BEST Feta Cheeses
Hidden Springs Creamery
Farmstead Feta
American Cheese Society Judging & Competition Awards - 1st Place 2023, 2018, 2011, 2009
La Moutonniere
Feta
American Cheese Society Judging & Competition Awards - 1st Place 2012, 2008, 2005
La Moutonniere
Feta Dans L`huile Aux Herbes
American Cheese Society Judging & Competition Awards - 1st Place 2007, 2005
Boston Post Dairy
Greek Style Feta
American Cheese Society Judging & Competition Awards - 1st Place 2018
Myzithra is a traditional cheese made from the whey of goat’s or sheep’s milk cheeses. It comes in three main varieties: fresh, sour, and aged. The fresh one is soft in texture and unsalted, typically shaped into eggs or balls.
Its aroma is pungent, while the flavor is quite mild. Sour myzithra is prepared with sheep’s or goat’s milk, yeast, and salt, while the aged variety is hard in texture and very salty. The first two varieties are often used in baked pastries and desserts, while the aged variety is best when grated over pasta, soups, and casseroles.
THE BEST Myzithra Cheeses
This soft table cheese is made from whey from the processing of Graviera or Kefalotyri Kritis cheeses and the addition of sheep or goat milk, or a mixture of the two. Its name is a combination of two words – mizithra and xyno – meaning 'acidic whey cheese'.
It is produced on the beautiful island of Crete in the Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion, and Lasithi prefectures, where it has been produced since the 17th century. Today, Xynomyzithra Kritis is one of the most popular cheeses made on Crete. This lovely, white, rindless cheese has a distinctive sweet and sour taste, and its texture can vary from creamy to granular. Xynomyzithra Kritis can be used in a variety of recipes, as it becomes milder and softer when cooked.
Pljevaljski sir is a staple of many Montenegrin meals. This white cheese is traditionally produced from raw cow's milk. The cheese is characterized by its strong flavor and creamy texture. Its unique aromas are a result of the maturation process which takes place in specially designed wooden barrels - the sliced cheese is salted, placed into wooden barrels, then immersed in brine.
Pljevaljski sir should mature for 15 days before it is ready for consumption. The cheese is so popular that there is even an annual event called Dani Pljevaljskog Sira, where numerous producers from the Pljevalj region present their cheeses.
Brânză de burduf is a traditional cheese made from sheep's or (sometimes) buffalo's milk. The cheese is placed in sheep's stomach or skin that's previously been cleaned. Alternatively, it can be placed in a tube made of pine bark.
The texture of this cheese is slightly soft, while the aromas and flavors are intense. The name brânză de burduf means kneaded cheese, referring to the method of production in which a traditional sweet cheese called caș is cut, salted, and then kneaded in a large wooden bowl.
Pair with
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