Kefalotyri
Sheep and goat cheese of Greece and Cyprus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kefalotyri or kefalotiri (Greek: κεφαλοτύρι) is a hard, salty white cheese made from sheep milk or goat's milk (or both) in Greece and Cyprus. A similar cheese, Kefalograviera, also made from sheep or goat milk (or both), is sometimes sold outside Greece and Cyprus as Kefalotyri.[1] Depending on the mixture of milk used in the process, the color can vary between yellow and white.[citation needed]
| Kefalotyri | |
|---|---|
| |
Country of origin | Greece, Cyprus |
Source of milk | sheep or goat (or both) |
| Texture | hard |
| Aging time | 3 months or more |
A very hard cheese, kefalotyri can be consumed as is, fried in olive oil for a dish called saganaki, or added to foods such as pasta dishes, meat, or cooked vegetables, and is especially suited for grating.[2] It is also used along with feta cheese in the vast majority of recipes for spanakopita, though sometimes substituted with the broadly similar Italian-derived cheeses Romano or Parmesan. This is a popular and well-known cheese, establishing its roots in Greece during the Byzantine era.[3] It can be found in some gourmet or speciality stores in other countries.[citation needed] Young cheeses take two to three months to ripen.[citation needed] An aged kefalotyri, a year old or more, is drier with a stronger flavour, and may be eaten as a meze with ouzo, or grated on food.[4]
