“Tsalafouti” has been registered in the list of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products and has been recognized as spread cheese, based on the decision of the Greek Ministry of Agriculture. It is made from sheep’s and goat’s milk and has only 10% fat. Tsalafouti is prepared during the last weeks of summer. It has the sour taste of traditional yoghurt. Its taste is pleasantly salty, slightly acidic and spicy, having certain similarities with “galotiri”, as well as with “katiki”. It is used as a spread on bread or toast, in salads and combined with meats, while it can also be used in desserts.
It is considered a special, seasonal product produced in small quantities and only for a few weeks per year. It is made mainly in Tzoumerka and Evrytania, in western Greece, from sheep’s milk, from the beginning of July to the middle of August (the last milk of the dairy season, has a thicker consistency) which is boiled and salted while boiling.
It can be used in tzatziki, tirokafteri, cheese-salads, and dakos, or to bind a red sauce or replace grated cheese in pasta or carbonara cream sauce. It can be enjoyed with pita, soup, meat, vegetables, and eggs or used to make delicious sweets!
It goes well with ouzo or tsipouro and as an appetizer on toasted bread.