Creamy and with a touch of delicate sweetness, anthotiro literally means “flower-blossom cheese” and it is a traditional Greek white cheese whose light taste embodies all the aromas of the herbs that grow in the wild in the Greek countryside.
It is prepared from fresh sheep’s or goat’s milk or a mixture of them, with the addition of small amounts of cream, and produced in Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Central Greece, Peloponnese, Ionian Islands, Aegean Islands, Crete, and Epirus.
There are two types of anthotiro, dried and fresh. The dried is aged and has a salty taste and rich flavor. It is consumed, either as grated cheese or as table cheese. The fresh on the other hand, has a soft, creamy texture, mild taste, and very pleasing sensory properties. It is a dietary, low-fat product with minimum salinity, and it is consumed as a table cheese or used in the preparation of cheese pastries. Fresh anthotiro in particular, is traditionally used as a filling in Greek pitas and can be combined with fruit, such as figs, pears, and apples, with delicious results.
Source: My Little Greek Foodbook
Photo: STROUGA
