Greek Cheese: A Complete Guide to Greece’s Most Popular Cheeses
Greek cheese is an essential part of Greek cuisine, offering a wide range of textures and flavors. From crumbly and salty to hard and aged, Greece has a cheese for every taste. This guide explores the most famous Greek cheeses, how they are used in cooking, and the best ways to enjoy them.
1. Feta Cheese – The Greek Icon
🔹 Description
Feta is the most famous Greek cheese, known for its crumbly texture, white color, and tangy, salty flavor. Traditionally made from sheep’s milk or a mix of sheep and goat’s milk, it is aged in brine, which gives it a distinct taste.
🔹 How It’s Used
- A key ingredient in the Greek salad (horiatiki) with tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives.
- Can be baked or grilled with honey and olive oil.
- Used in savory pastries like spanakopita (spinach and feta pie).
🔹 Feta Cheese
2. Kefalotyri – The Salty Aged Cheese
🔹 Description
Kefalotyri is a hard, yellow cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk. It has a salty, nutty flavor and is one of the oldest Greek cheeses, often used for cooking.
🔹 How It’s Used
- Used in the famous saganaki (pan-fried cheese).
- Grated over pasta dishes like pastitsio (Greek lasagna).
- Served with honey and nuts as a snack.
🔹 Kefalotyri Cheese Image
3. Manouri – The Creamy Delicacy
🔹 Description
Manouri is a soft, creamy cheese made from the leftover whey of feta production, mixed with cream. It has a mild, buttery flavor, making it a great cheese for desserts or light dishes.
🔹 How It’s Used
- Used as a milder alternative to feta in salads.
- Served with honey and nuts as a dessert cheese.
- Used in traditional Greek sweets.
🔹 Manouri Cheese Image
4. Kasseri – The Soft, Stretchy Cheese
🔹 Description
Kasseri is a semi-hard cheese with a stretchy texture, made from sheep’s and goat’s milk. It has a mildly sweet taste and melts easily, making it perfect for sandwiches and grilling.
🔹 How It’s Used
- Used in grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Pan-fried like saganaki.
- Added to savory pastries and pies.
🔹 Kasseri Cheese Image
5. Mizithra – The Fresh & Aged Cheese
🔹 Description
Mizithra is a traditional Greek cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s whey. It comes in two varieties:
- Fresh Mizithra: Soft, similar to ricotta, used in desserts.
- Aged Mizithra: Hard and salty, grated over pasta.
🔹 How It’s Used
- Fresh Mizithra is used in Greek desserts like baklava.
- Aged Mizithra is grated over pasta dishes.
🔹 Mizithra Cheese Image
🔹 Summary: Which Greek Cheese Should You Try?
- For a salty, crumbly cheese → Feta.
- For a hard, aged cheese with a strong flavor → Kefalotyri.
- For a soft, creamy cheese → Manouri.
- For a mild, stretchy cheese → Kasseri.
- For a fresh or aged cheese for pasta & desserts → Mizithra.
