🧀 Mizithra

Mizithra is a Greek whey cheese made from sheep's or goat's whey, eaten fresh or dried and salted. It is made all over Greece, especially on Crete and in mountain areas.

The whey left after making sheep's and goat's milk cheeses is heated almost to boiling, often with a little milk added. The proteins coagulate and float; they are collected and drained in cloth bags. Mizithra therefore belongs to Whey cheeses, like ricotta.

There are three main forms. Fresh mizithra is soft, moist and sweetish, with almost no salt. Sour mizithra (xynomizithra) has a pleasant tang; the Cretan version, Xynomyzithra Kritis, has been an EU PDO since 1996. Dried mizithra is salted and aged until hard, then grated like a pasta cheese.

Fresh mizithra is eaten with honey and fruit, and used in Cretan cheese pies and salads. The dried form is grated over spaghetti with browned butter, a simple Greek pasta dish. The fresh form keeps a few days, the dried one for months.

Mizithra is closely related to Cypriot anari and to the Greek cheeses anthotyros and manouri. Anthotyros and especially manouri are made from whey with more milk or cream added, so they are richer and creamier. Fresh mizithra, by contrast, is lean and light, and its proteins are mostly whey proteins. Keep fresh mizithra covered in the fridge, and store the dried form tightly wrapped in a cool, dry place.

Mizithra or feta, ricotta? Feta is made from milk set with rennet and kept in brine; mizithra is made from the whey left after sheep’s and goat’s milk cheeses, heated almost to boiling so that the proteins float and are drained in cloth bags. That makes it a whey cheese like ricotta. Fresh mizithra is soft, sweetish and almost unsalted; dried mizithra is salted and hard enough to grate, like pecorino in use. Anthotyros and manouri have more milk or cream added, so they are richer, while fresh mizithra is lean and light.

Look for “mizithra” (also written myzithra) and check which form it is: fresh, soft and unsalted, or dried, hard and salted for grating. The sour version carries the full PDO name “Xynomyzithra Kritis” with the EU symbol (protected designation of origin), made on Crete. Fresh mizithra is a chilled product, so expect it in the fridge; the dried form is a hard piece. You will find both at Greek or Mediterranean delicatessens and some supermarket cheese counters.

Why it matters to you: when buying mizithra, check which form it is — fresh replaces ricotta, while dried works as a grating cheese, similar in use to pecorino.