Southeastern European Cheeses

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 Maced... READ MORE

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 19... READ MORE

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 ... READ MORE

Kefalotyri is a traditional Greek-Cypriot cheese made from goat’s or sheep’s milk. It has a firm and flaky texture with irregular eyes and a strong, rich aroma, while the flavors can best be described as salty, strong, tangy, ... READ MORE

This is one of the most famous Greek cheeses. It has been made in Western Macedonia, Epirus, Aitoloakarnanina, Evrytania, and in western mainland Greece since the 1960s, which makes it one of the newest cheeses on the Greek market. It is a hard ta... READ MORE

Manouri is a silky smooth fresh whey cheese made exclusively in the areas of Central and Western Macedonia and in Thessalia. It is a particular type of unsalted myzithra cheese known from the Byzantine period. Manouri produced in... READ MORE

Urda is a fresh whey cheese produced throughout the Balkans. The cheese is made from the whey of cow's, sheep's, or goat's milk. Its texture is smooth, grainy, and crumbly. The aromas are fresh, and the flavor is mild, sweet, and milky. U... READ MORE

Caș is a traditional fresh cheese made from raw cow's or sheep's milk. The milk is curdled with rennet, and it's later drained to separate the whey. This semi-soft cheese is usually unsalted (or lightly salted) and white in color. In text... READ MORE

This cheese has a long history, and it is the best-known Greek graviera cheese. It is produced using traditional methods and ripened in facilities in Hania, Rethymnos, Iraklion, and Lasithio prefectures on the island of Crete. It is traditionally ... READ MORE

This cheese has been produced on the island of Naxos in the Cyclades for at least a century. Graviera Naxou is made from pasteurised cow milk or a mixture of sheep milk and a maximum of 20% goat milk. It has a thin rind and a light yellow, compact... READ MORE

Cascaval afumat is a Romanian cheese made from cow's milk. It's shaped into wheels and blocks, but cascaval afumat can also be braided. The name of this cheese means smoked cascaval. The texture is semi-soft and rubbery, while th... READ MORE

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. T... READ MORE

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 ... READ MORE

This cheese is traditionally produced from goat's or sheep's milk, although some dairies also use cow’s milk or a mixture of the three, taken from breeds reared on the Cyclades in the southern Aegean Sea. The diet of the animals is based on ... READ MORE

Mastelo refers to trademarked Greek cheeses produced exclusively in Chios. There are two types of Mastelo – one is made from Chian cow's milk, and the other one from goat's milk. The cow's milk version is white in color, with a milk... READ MORE

Malaka or Tiromalama is a fresh Greek curd cheese originating from Crete. It is made from sheep’s milk (or a combination of sheep’s and goat’s milk) during the first shaping of Graviera cheese. The cheese is soft and moist in tex... READ MORE

Djath Sharri or Šarski sir is a salty cheese from Kosovo made with sheep's and cow's milk. Originally, it was made only with sheep's milk since cows were not able to climb the highland. In color, it ranges from white to yellow, and... READ MORE

Anthotyro is a Greek cheese made from goat’s and sheep’s milk. The name anthotyro means flowery cheese, referring to the strong aromas of wild herbs. There are two varieties of this cheese – fresh and <... READ MORE

This cottage cheese is made with goat milk or a mixture of goat and sheep milk from breeds traditionally raised in the village of Domokos in the Othrys mountain range in central Greece. It is made following a traditional recipe without the use of ... READ MORE

Modeled on the Swiss and French tradition of cheese production, livanjski sir was first produced in 1886, and it was initially made only with sheep’s milk. Later on, the production changed, and while many industrially produced types... READ MORE

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 – mi... READ MORE

Ladotyri Mytilinis is a hard table cheese made from sheep's milk or sheep's and goat's milk, the amount of which should not exceed 30%. It is produced only on the island of Lesbos, in the Prefecture of Lesbos in the Northern Aegean Island... READ MORE

The name of this cheese is derived from the words galo (milk) and tyri (cheese). This 'milky' cheese is a curd... READ MORE

This white, soft, brined cheese is made from fresh sheep milk or a combination of sheep and goat milk taken from breeds that graze freely on wild grasses on the island of Lemnos in the northern Aegean Sea. The method of production is quite similar... READ MORE

This hard cheese is obtained exclusively from the milk of cows bred on the island of Syros in the Cyclades archipelago, where this famous cheese has been produced for more than half a century using the same traditional methods. The local cows are ... READ MORE

Gjizë is a type of dry curded cheese, made from yogurt and citric acid. The texture and taste resemble a sour ricotta, but gjizë can be enriched with garlic, herbs, salt or other spices. There are two methods of making gjizë. One is... READ MORE

Talagani is a Greek cheese typically made from a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk, originating in the Peloponnese region. The cheese has a firm texture and a rich, slightly tangy flavor (it is often compared to halloumi, the popular Cyp... READ MORE

Telemea de Ibanesti is a traditional cheese made in the Gurghiu valley from cow's or sheep's milk. Its texture is quite wet and crumbly because the block-shaped cheese is placed in brine during the production. Telemea is white to yellowis... READ MORE

This Serbian spun cheese is one of the hallmark products of the entire Pirot region. It is a pleasantly tangy cheese characterized by its bright-yellow crust and smooth surface. The cheese was originally made from sheep milk since the area was wel... READ MORE

Năsal is a traditional cheese that's named after a village in Cluj, Transylvania. The soft and creamy cheese is made from cow's milk, and it has been smear-ripened in caves since the Middle Ages. The cave features the Brevibacterium l... READ MORE

Known as travnički and vlašićki, this traditional Bosnian cheese is prepared with raw ewe’s milk and natural calf rennet. When strained, the cheese is cut into blocks that are salted and placed into wooden barrels, w... READ MORE

Sjenički sir is a soft, white, and brined cheese made with either sheep's or cow's milk produced in the Sjenica-Pester plateau in southwest Serbia. Even though there are two types of Sjenički sir, the production is the same whether speaking of she... READ MORE

Krasotyri is a traditional cheese originating from Kos. The cheese is made from sheep's or goat's milk (or a combination). The milk is warmed, pasteurized, placed into containers, then traditional elongated wicker molds where it drains. A... READ MORE

Melichloro is a traditional cheese produced on the island of Lemnos. The cheese is made from fresh sheep's and goat's milk. Its texture is hard, while the flavors are rich and complex, capturing the scent of herbs and wildflowers that gro... READ MORE

This soft, spreadable cheese has been made in the municipalities of Siteia, Makry Yialos, Itanos, and Lefki for over 50 years. It is produced from goat or sheep milk from the local breeds, which feed on a diet of local herbs and aromatic plants. S... READ MORE

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... READ MORE

Traditionally produced in the Greek regions of Thessaly and Western and Central Macedonia, Batzos is a hard to semi-hard, brined, rindless cheese made from fresh or pasteurized sheep's or goat's milk or a combination of the two. The flavo... READ MORE

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... READ MORE

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 reg... READ MORE

This is a delicious hard table cheese produced exclusively from sheep milk or a mixture of sheep milk and no more than 30% goat milk. This cheese has been made for over a century in the mountainous Agrafon area of the Karditsa prefecture, and it c... READ MORE

Xynotyro is a Greek whey cheese originating from the island of Mykonos. It is made from goat’s or sheep’s milk. The cheese is characterized by its hard, flaky, melt-in-the-mouth texture. Its aroma is pungent, while its flavor ... READ MORE

Pule is the world's most expensive cheese. Originating from Zasavica Nature Reserve in Serbia, the cheese is made with the milk coming from Balkan donkeys, making the product extremely unique and rare. It takes about 25 liters of donkey m... READ MORE