🧀 Kasseri

Kasseri is a Greek semi-hard cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), registered in the EU in 1996. According to the specification it is mainly a table cheese with a pleasant taste and a rich aroma, traditionally made from sheep milk or from sheep milk mixed with goat milk, the goat share being no more than 20% by weight. ³

Milk. The milk must come exclusively from the demarcated area, from goat and sheep breeds that are traditionally reared and adapted to it, with a diet based on the flora of the area. It has at least 6% fat, is coagulated within 48 hours of milking and may be raw or pasteurised; milkings must take place at least 10 days after birth. Powdered milk, milk proteins, caseinates, colourings, preservatives and antibiotics are not allowed. Traditional rennet or similar enzymes are used; with pasteurised milk, harmless acidifying cultures and calcium chloride (up to 20 g per 100 kg of milk) may be added. ³

The cheese. The specification describes Kasseri as a pasta filata type cheese, and names biological acidification of the curd to the desired degree as a key production factor. Moisture is at most 45% and fat in dry matter at least 40%; the consistency is semi-hard to hard and compact. The shape is cylindrical (diameter up to 30 cm, height 7-10 cm) or parallelepiped. The rind is usually covered with paraffin wax or other food-permitted materials. The paste is yellowish white with few or no eyes. Kasseri ripens for at least three months. ³

Where it is made. Production, ripening and initial packaging all take place in the demarcated area: in Thessaly the regional units of Karditsa, Larissa, Trikala and Magnesia; all of Central and Western Macedonia; the regional units of Drama, Kavala and Xanthi; and the regional unit of Lesvos. ³

Labelling. For traceability the packaging carries the first letters of the designation (ΚΑ), a serial number and the production date. ³

Link with the area. According to the specification, pasta filata cheese developed in the Pindos and Olympos mountains, where milk was coagulated on site and the curd carried in casks. It states that Kasseri has been made in various parts of Greece for more than 100 years. Why the curd is stretched. Roads in the Pindos and Olympos mountains were poor or absent, so collecting milk was hard. Coagulating it on site and carrying curd in casks cut the volume, and heating and working that curd later gave a stretched, pasta filata cheese. The method changed slowly into today's form, while the core of the tradition stayed the same. ³

How it is worked. The 1994 Greek description sets out the steps. The curd is heated to 38–40 °C and left to drain and sour until the pH falls to about 5.2. It is then cut into slabs, put into water at 70–80 °C and kneaded into an even, pliable mass before spending two to three days in moulds. The surface is salted 12 to 14 times, and the cheese then ripens for at least three months. ⁴

Why sheep's milk and not cow's. Mountains, heat and dry weather favour sheep and goats over cattle in Greece. These hardy animals give little milk, but it is rich. Sheep's and goat's milk has no carotene, so the curd is naturally white, unlike the yellowish curd of cow's milk. Their casein also differs, which shapes the taste and even allows laboratories to detect milk from other animals. Greek tradition is old too: the specification recalls Hermes as a cheese-making god and the cheese of the Cyclops in the Odyssey. ³

Kasseri or halloumi, kefalotyri, kashkaval? Shoppers search these together, but a fair comparison starts with how Kasseri is made rather than with numbers. Its milk is sheep milk, or sheep with up to 20% goat, never cow's. It is a pasta filata cheese: the curd is heated, cut into slabs, put in water at 70–80 °C and kneaded until pliable, then moulded, salted on the surface and ripened for at least three months. That stretched, ripened paste, with a protective wax or similar coating, is what the PDO name guarantees.

Look for the name Kasseri with the EU PDO symbol (protected designation of origin). For traceability the pack carries the first letters of the designation (ΚΑ), a serial number and the production date. The cheese is a cylinder or a block with a yellowish white paste and few or no eyes, often coated in paraffin wax on the rind. You will find it as wedges or slices at a supermarket cheese counter, a delicatessen or a shop selling Greek products.

Why it matters to you. The letters ΚΑ, a serial number and the date on the pack help trace it. The milk may be raw or pasteurised, so ask if that matters. The wax or similar coating on the rind is a protective layer, so check before eating it. It is mainly a table cheese, and because it melts well it also suits baked dishes, omelettes or pizza. Rennet can be traditional or similar enzymes, so vegetarians should check the label. ³⁵