Anthotyros () (Anthotyro in modern Greek, "flowery cheese") is a traditional fresh
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
. There are dry Anthotyros and fresh Anthotyros. Dry Anthotyros is a matured cheese similar to
Mizithra
Mizithra or myzithra ( ) is a Greek whey cheese or mixed milk- whey cheese from sheep or goats, or both. Barron, Rosemary (1991). ''Flavors of Greece.'' William Morrow, It is sold both as a fresh cheese, similar to Italian ''ricotta'', and as a ...
. Anthotyros is made with milk and
whey
Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard ...
from
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
or
goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
s, sometimes in combination. The ratio of milk to whey usually is 9-to-1. It is commonly a truncated cone, but when shipped in containers may be crumbled, as it is removed. It may be unpasteurized, where law allows.
Milk is boiled at moderate temperature for ten minutes and then rennet and salt is added, while ruffling. The mix is left in large shallow tanks resulting in a part skim mixture. The following day, salt is added to the mix which is then poured into a basket with tulle and is left to drain. Salt is added every day for another three to four days. At this stage, the cheese is still fresh but less soft. If left to mature, thick salt is often added to cover the exterior.
The fresh variant is dry, white, soft or medium hardness, with a sweet, creamy taste, with no rind and no salt.
[ It might be eaten for breakfast with honey and fruit, or in savory dishes with oil, tomato and wild herbs. The dry variant is hard, dry, white and salty; it can have a powerful smell similar to sherry. It might be eaten on spaghetti or salads.
Anthotyros is produced in ]Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, commonly in Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...
, Macedonia, the Ionian Islands and Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
.Anthotyros
''Cheese.com''. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
See also
*
List of cheeses
This is a list of cheeses by place of origin. Cheese is a milk-based food that is produced in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms. Hundreds of types of cheese from various countries are produced. Their styles, textures and flavors depe ...
*
Cuisine of Greece
Greek cuisine (Greek: Ελληνική Κουζίνα) is the cuisine of Greece and the Greek diaspora. In common with many other cuisines of the Mediterranean, it is founded on the triad of wheat, olive oil, and wine. It uses vegetables, oliv ...
References
{{Greek cheeses
Greek cheeses
Byzantine cuisine
Goat's-milk cheeses
Sheep's-milk cheeses
Whey cheeses