Cheese making has enjoyed unbroken continuity within the Cyclades. Simple curd cheeses (some fresh, others strained and dried) continue to be made with sheep's and goat's milk. Since cows were delivered to the islands through the Venetians, many unique Cycladic cheeses (notably on Syros, Tinos and Naxos) are also made with cow's milk.
Especially noteworthy would be the petroma or petroti cheeses of Tinos and Andros - mild and semi-soft, these 'rock' cheeses possess a creamy, rich texture. They're made with either cow's or sheep's milk, based on the season, then pressed and shaped between hard slabs. The color and character of kopanisti, a soft, fermented, unusually-pungent cheese, are based on where it had been made (Syros, Tinos and Mykonos would be the largest producers). Kopanisti ferments for many days-often in clay jugs or barrels-until mould forms, after which it is kneaded and replenished with increased cheese. This method is repeated for many months before whole mixture becomes pink (sometimes blue) and incredibly strong. It's not for the average person.
Yellow cheeses have a prominent devote the Cycladic larder. San Mihali, an appellation cheese, first appeared on Syros two decades ago. Like the Italian pecorino and eaten like a table cheese, it's rich and sharp.
Naxos is renowned for its artisanal cheeses, included in this the hard yellow arseniko, or 'masculine', that derives its nickname from the texture. Soft curd cheese is known as thilyko- 'feminine' - on Naxos.
Many Cycladic graviera - like cheeses vary from sweet and mild to sharp and nutty. The graviera from Tinos, one of the few Greek appellation cheeses made exclusively with cow's milk, is particularly prized.
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