The manoura cheese is made from whole milk (sheep and / or goat) which coagulates and its curd is placed in baskets (tirovolia) to drain.
Fresh manoura is called “chloromanoura”, it is soft and consumed plain, with sugar and honey while it is the main ingredient of the traditional “pitarakia”.
The remaining cheese is salted in order to preserve and hardens as it matures. In local cuisine it is often eaten grated on pasta.
The most special variant of the cheese, however, is the “gilomeni manoura” – a kind of dried white cheese, matured in wine lies, the “gyli”, which allows it to be preserved longer, and gives the cheese a special aroma.
This treatment gives the cheese an outer, deep purple shell, while the inside is dark, with a very special aroma and spicy taste that is a wonderful meze, especially for raki or ouzo. The locals usually use it grated over fresh steamed pasta with a little olive oil and pepper.
