Market Stall · Spicy Whipped Cheese
Kopanisti
📷 Closely related photo — Photo: C messier / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Its sharp, peppery bite comes from the mould that forms on the cheese as it ripens, which makers knead back in again and again; Kopanisti has held EU Protected Designation of Origin status since 1996.
Soft sheep's- and goat's-milk cheese is whipped and left to ferment until it turns pungent, spreadable and peppery, then served on bread or crackers as a bar snack. Sold at Mykonos market stalls and tavernas as a classic ouzo pairing.
Why it's made this way: Milk has always been scarce across the dry, small Cycladic islands, so producers developed a fermentation method that concentrated flavor from a small amount of milk into something bold enough to feel like a luxury rather than a shortage.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries.
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