We have prepared a list of selected - for their quality and taste – Greek types of cheese and traditional recipes to include in our menu.
They are all meant to tempt your taste buds !
Join us on a culinary trip to some of the most famous products of Greece.
Our Tirozouli Cheese
Tirozouli – “Tir-o-“: cheese, “tiro-komo” (verb): to make cheese, “-zouli”, “zoulao” (verb): press
This traditional product of Crete has its roots in mythology. Remember Amalthea (the goat that raised the Cretan Zeus), whose horn still symbolizes abundance today!
Tirozouli is Avli's handmade cheese. A traditional Cretan recipe we craft using fresh sheep and goat milk from local producers. Soft, creamy, with a gentle and slightly tangy flavour, tirozouli represents the authenticity of Cretan cuisine. We serve it with marinated olives from our own production and our homemade bread baked daily in our wood-fired oven.
Katsochiri
Katsochiri is one of the most characteristic Cretan cheeses; fresh, local, with a soft texture and mildly tangy flavour.
The cheese mass produced during the first step of making Gruyere cheese is used to make ‘katsochiri’. It is essentially fresh Gruyere - a soft and flavourful cheese that when mature it becomes Gruyere. The shepherd gathers the leftover scraps from the Gruyere cheese-making process and shapes them by hand into small hedgehogs, or ‘katsohiri’ as we call it in Crete.
Katsochiri is ideal for saganaki - fried until golden and crispy on the outside, creamy inside. At Avli, we serve it in crispy aromatic breading with homemade jam that balances the saltiness with a sweet note.
Cretan Aged Gruyere
Cretan Gruyere is Crete's most famous cheese,
with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
Made exclusively from sheep milk or a blend with goat milk (up to 20%), it ages for at least three months. The finest gruyeres though, as the one we use in our kitchen, age for over 12 months. Aging gives it a rich, nutty flavour with notes of caramel, a hard texture and golden colour. At Avli, our selected aged gruyere is served with our marinated olives and fresh barley rusk, accompanied by olive oil or oregano.
Tirilogia (Trilogy of Greek Cheeses)
Our Tirilogia is a journey through the flavours of Greece: Manouri, Haloumi, and our own Tirozouli.
Manouri: Fresh, white cheese made from sheep or goat whey, with a creamy texture and mild, slightly sweet flavour. It's rich in protein and low in fat.
Haloumi: The famous Cypriot cheese that has become beloved throughout Greece. With a semi-hard texture and high melting point, it's ideal for grilling, developing a golden crust while maintaining its elasticity.
The Tirilogia is served with cherry tomatoes, walnuts, dried figs, and homemade citrus spoon dessert.
A composition of flavours celebrating Mediterranean tradition.
Talagani
Talagani
Talagani is coming from Messinia (south Greece), made of sheep’s and goat’s milk.
Due to its composition it retains its intense full flavour, its rich aromas and the subtle touches of mint that characterize it when grilled. What sets it apart though is that it is baked without melting, acquiring chewy texture without losing its shape. All these features make it extremely versatile in cooking where it can be used in many ways.
Enjoy in AVLI along with homemade tomato jam.
Manouri
Manouri
Manouri is a soft, fresh cheese made in central and western Greece. It is a kind of unsalted ‘Mizithra’ known since the Byzantine years. It is considered one of the best cheeses and is prepared by adding milk and cream to a rennet from sheep's or goat's milk or a mixture of both. It is found in a cylindrical shape and although soft it is firm enough to be cut into slices. It tastes similar to Feta but it is less salty and more creamy, with a slightly sour taste. It is traditionally used in pies or sweets as well as accompanied with honey.
Haloumi
Haloumi
Haloumi is a traditional Cypriot cheese with a history dating back centuries, possibly to the Byzantine era. It's made from a mixture of sheep and goat milk (or cow's milk in modern variations), and its defining characteristic is its semi-hard, elastic texture and exceptionally high melting point. This makes it ideal for grilling or pan-frying. When heated, it develops a golden, crispy crust on the outside while remaining soft and creamy inside, without melting. Its flavour is mildly salty with milky notes, and its distinctive texture comes from the traditional preparation method that includes boiling the cheese in whey. In 2021, haloumi received Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status from the European Union, recognizing its Cypriot origin and tradition. Today, it's beloved throughout the Mediterranean.
Feta
Feta
Feta is the most famous cheese from Greece. It is produced in many areas of the country of sheep’s milk or mixed with goat’s milk, placed in square or triangular molds, inside barrels, or containers filled with brine.
It is a white, salty cheese with an intense, fresh taste. Served in slices – that is how it got its name – is consumed as is or accompanied with olive oil and oregano, tomato and olives thus it is a basic ingredient in a Greek salad!
Local Feta cheese from Selli village
Local Feta cheese from Selli village
Crete has a vivid tradition in cheese making and Feta made in Selli is one of the most significant. A soft cheese rich in aromas.
It is produced from fresh sheep’s and goat’s milk, collected daily by the farmers in the area of Rethimnon, in particular from Selli village.
It is matured for at least two months before reaching your dish and is well known for its tasty flavour, its nutritional value and its high quality.
It may accompany a lot of dishes and it is a perfect ingredient in snacks or salads.
Metsovone smoked cheese
Metsovone smoked cheese
Metsovone is a hard / semi-hard smoked cheese - with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) from Metsovo, Epirus - made from cow's milk or a mixture of it with sheep’s or goat’s. It has been made in Metsovo (mountainous region) for over 50 years now from local milk.
It is placed in cylindrical molds which in turn are placed in cold water to make the cheese more compact. Once dry, the maturation process begins for at least three months. In the final stage it is smoked for almost two days.
It has a firm texture and a slightly yellow finish. Rich taste, slightly salty and spicy with an aftertaste of dried fruits. It is delicious either consumed raw or baked.
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