history of cheese production in Greece has its roots in antiquity.More Homer in the "Odyssey" tells about the island of the Cyclops, who produced cheese.Greeks rank first in the world in the use of cheese - 23 kg per person per year (22 kg - French).Prefer soft cheeses - 60% of total consumption, 40% of them, of course, is "national" cheese - feta.
world-famous feta cheese belongs to the class of pickled cheeses.Original name of this cheese made from sheep and goat milk.Fet is rightly considered one of the oldest cheeses in the world.A full flavor and a distinct aroma feta related to the quality of milk.Sheep and goats graze freely on pastures in environmentally friendly areas such as Epirus, where the air, water and soil is not contaminated.
Skilled craftsmen make this cheese at home from fresh milk which is poured into a leather bag made from goat or sheep stomach and rolled under the influence of natural rennet.Curdled milk then gently heated to form flakes of milk protein and floating on the surface of the body, which is derived from whey and dried, often in the sun.
feta factory production is done in the same way, but on a larger scale and with the use of modern technology.Unlike feta homemade, commercial grades made from pasteurized milk.When curd becomes hard, it is cut into slices, liberally sprinkled with salt (the more salt is added, the harder will cheese) and left for 24 hours.Then the cheese is placed in a wooden barrel and pour brine.A month later, the cheese is ready for use.Feta - cheese tight, but crumbly and slightly cracked.In color it is pure white, milky taste, with fresh acidity, fat content 40-50%.
One of the most popular cheese in Greece is Graviera .Like many Greek cheeses, Gravieru can be made from sheep's or goat's milk, depending on the season, although most of the cheese today is from cow's milk.Graviera sweet and fruity, with a firm but supple texture with tiny holes and rich, creamy taste.On the island of Naxos in a small local cooperative of cow's milk makes a wonderful Gravieru a nutty flavor.
Kaser - hard mountain cheese made on the continent in the Greek province of Macedonia, as well as on the island of Lesbos.Kaser prepared as a cylinder without a crust of solid raw sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep (no less than 80%) and goat's milk.Mild cheese, flavored butter and a few salty taste.At the beginning of the meal taste it seems very salty, but gradually begins to dominate the sweet taste.Ripening period of at least three months.Cheese appears in countless local dishes, it is melted, griliruyut, baked.
Traditional unpasteurized cheese is hard Kefalotyri .He was known and respected in the days of the Byzantine Empire.It is believed that its name comes from kefalo - Greek hats.Historically, this is the first cheese, which is prepared at the beginning of the new season.Once the lambs weaned from the mother sheep's milk used to prepare this popular cheese.Kefalotyri nazyvayuya "male" or "first" cheese, pointing to the fact that it is made from whole milk.Color he varies from white to yellow.This depends on the color of the milk and pastures.Taste nice fresh cheese, with a distinct flavor of sheep's milk and tangy aftertaste, something similar to a fruity, grassy olive oil.Kefalotyri maturing 2-3 months, the fat content of the cheese can vary from 40% to 55%.
Antotiro belongs to a cheese made from whey, obtained by separation of the sheep milk (or a mixture of sheep's and cow's milk).Antotiro produced for many centuries.The name in Greek means "flower cheese".The taste and flavor of cheese you feel notes of wild flowers and grasses that feed goats and cows.Antotiro smooth, firm and moist cheese with a crumbly texture.Its delicate white dough and the famous floral taste is smoky flavor.
to ancient cheese, which is made from whey from the feta or Kefalotyri is Manouri .Cream Cheese and white, with a light texture of cheesecake.It melts in your mouth, the taste of a fresh, milky, slightly citrus.Manouri can be marketed within 4 days after manufacture.Mainly this cheese is used in cakes, as it can pour honey and serve breakfast as a low-calorie alternative to Greek yogurt.
Another type of cheese is made from heated whey, to which is added a little milk or cream, called mizithra .Very gentle, refreshing crumbly cheese with a superb texture.It is ready to use within a few days, however, more seasoned cheese lovers can wait seven months until the cheese ripens.When the milk is much mizithra stored in salt and dried as hard cheese for grating.In Greece also porizvodyat special mizithra acid, which is sold under the name Xinomyzithira.
Ksinoturo is a traditional, unpasteurized cheese from whey made from sheep and goat milk.Ksinoturo name means "sour cheese."This is a solid, layered cheese that melts in your mouth, leaving a distinctive sweet-sour taste.The taste resembles a mixture of sweet caramel and lanolin (typical cheese from sheep's milk), whey and sour taste.
to fresh cheese is Galotiri .It is made from whole goat's or sheep's milk for 2 months.Fat Cheese 14%.It is the oldest Greek cheese with protected status of origin.Galotiri spreadable, it is used for lunch or as a snack.
Anevato - very soft fresh cheese made from goat's, cow's or sheep's milk in the north-eastern part of Greece, near the heated and a goat.
Articles Source: tdpir.ru
