Xinotyri Ξινοτύρι
A tart, ancient Cycladic milk cheese that ranges from fresh soft curd to rock-hard, pungent grating rounds.
- Type
- cheese
- Designation
- PDO
- Made from
- goat and sheep milk, soured soft cheese
- Where
- Cyclades
- Season
- all-year
- Price
- €€
Taste and texture
Sour, lively, and fresh with a pronounced goat milk bite. When dried it becomes dry, chalky, and aggressively pungent.
firm
saltysharpcreamyfruitybittersweetintense
How to buy
Seek out small island grocers or specialty delis, opting for dried varieties if using for grating.
Look for island provenance and clear labeling confirming unpasteurised sheep and goat milk sources.
The rules in short
Produced on Aegean islands from naturally soured sheep and goat milk whey and fresh curd. Drained slowly and either eaten soft or dried on reed mats.
Serving ideas
- Grated over traditional island tomato pastes and pasta
- Crumbled onto toasted barley rusks with chopped wild capers
- Paired fresh with ripe melons and sweet fruit
Substitutes
Aged goat pecorino, Ricotta salata.
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.