Country of origin Greece Fat content 19.4% Aging time 45-60 days | Texture soft mould Protein content 16.7% Region Mykonos, Greece | |
Source of milk cow's milk or sheep's milk or a mixture of both Similar Formaela, Kefalograviera, Manouri, Revithia, Tirokafteri | ||
Kopanisti Mykonou (Greek: Κοπανιστή Μυκόνου) is a salty, spicy cheese, with protected designation of origin (PDO) that is mainly found in the Cycladic island of Mykonos, in Greece, Aegean Sea, for more than 300 years. It owes its special hot taste in fungal growth and it is sometimes also called the "Greek Roquefort".
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In Turkey it is known as kopanisti peyniri or acı peynir (kopanisti cheese and bitter cheese, respectively, in Turkish), and is traditionally made in Çeşme and Karaburun districts of İzmir Province. In Turkey, it is normally made from goat's milk.
Etymology
"Kopanisti" in the Greek language is used to describe something that has been beaten. In Kopanisti cheese this refers to its technique of preparation. It is mainly made from cow's milk or sheep's milk or a mixture of both.
Preparation
Preparation of Kopanisti Mykonou include artisanal cultures, derived from practice of using some of the previous batches of produced cheese as inocolum for new baches. At first the milk is cooked at 28–30 °C (82–86 °F) with yeast until it gets thick. This procedure usually takes about 20–24 hours. After this it needs to be dried and red chili peppers and salt are added. The manufacturer works the mixture by hands once every hour for the first 24 hours. Then the mixture is wrapped in cotton cloth and placed in a cooking pot with a stone placed on top of the cheese. This method helps the cheese to get rid of extra liquids. It remains in the cloth for a week in order to mature and let the fungus grow. It is then again mixed and put in containers (traditionally eartenware) to complete its aging, which can take between one and two months.
The most popular way of serving is in a dish called "mostra" which contains dry bread with kopanisti cheese, chopped tomatoes and olive oil. Mykoniotes also use it as a meze to accompany the Greek drink ouzo.