Cheese Database

Kefalotyri vs Ladotyri Mytilinis

Kefalotyri

Facts

Milk
Mixed milk
Texture
Hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Cyprus

Kefalotyri is a hard, salty cheese of Cyprus and Greece, made from sheep's milk, goat's milk, or a mix of the two. The wheel is pale, from white to light yellow, and the color shifts with the milk. The paste is firm and flaky, with a few small eyes, and it grates cleanly once aged. A younger wheel is still hard, but it is a little moister and less fierce. The name joins the word for head with the word for cheese, a nod to the round form.

Ladotyri Mytilinis

Facts

Milk
Mixed milk
Texture
Hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Greece
Place
Sheep/Goat
Status
PDO

Ladotyri Mytilinis is a hard Greek cheese from the island of Lesbos, and the name is protected. Makers use sheep's milk, sometimes with some goat's milk, and they age small wheels in olive oil. Lado refers to oil and tyri to cheese, so the name describes that oil storage. The paste is firm, salty, and rich, with a clear sheep's milk edge. It serves as a table cheese and as a grating cheese, not as a fresh curd.