Graviera Kritis Γραβιέρα Κρήτης
The supreme Cretan hard cheese, offering a firm crumb, rich toasted nut sweetness, and pleasant savoury depth.
- Type
- cheese
- Designation
- PDO
- Made from
- sheep milk with a little goat
- Where
- Crete
- Season
- all-year
- Price
- €€
Taste and texture
Nutty, rounded, and savoury with sweet caramel undertones that deepen with age. The paste is dense, compact, and pleasantly granular.
hard
saltysharpcreamyfruitybittersweetintense
How to buy
Seek mature wheels cut to order, looking for tiny eyes and a deep golden natural rind.
Verify the Cretan origin and PDO mark, watching for indicators of extended cave ageing if seeking deeper flavour.
The rules in short
Crafted exclusively in Crete from local sheep milk, sometimes blended with a small proportion of goat milk. Matured for a minimum of three months.
Serving ideas
- Served with raw thyme honey and fresh walnuts
- Pan-fried in thin wedges for saganaki
- Shaved finely over baked pasta or braised meats
Substitutes
Gruyere, Manchego curado.
Read more: Greek Food and Its Neighbours: A Shared Table in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Cooked in
Check the register. Designations are listed from our own working list and have not yet been checked against the EU register. Check eAmbrosia before relying on a name.