KopanistiΚοπανιστή

Appearance & taste

Kopanisti is a soft cheese without a rind. Its paste is soft and creamy, yellowish to pale grey and contains at most 56 % water and at least 43 % fat in dry matter. The specification names as its main characteristics the high salt content, the pronounced, sharp and peppery taste, the creamy texture and the full-bodied aroma.

Taste and aroma result from the rapid and extensive breakdown of protein and fat during ripening, brought about by the enzymes of the microbes on the surface. The cheese becomes creamy through these enzymes and its high water content, and creamier still with added butter.

Besides the name, the packaging states, where applicable, the type of milk used and the note “with added butter”, as well as a control code beginning with the letters KO.

Production

The milk comes from the Cyclades, from cattle, sheep and goat breeds that are traditionally kept there and are adapted to the region; whole milk from cows, sheep or goats or a mixture is used. From October to April the animals graze on land with a low grazing capacity but a rich flora. From May to September the pastures dry out; the animals then eat dry wild plants and hay from cereals or legumes from the area, plus up to 40 % bought-in feed of cereal grains, bran and hay. Concentrating the milk and adding milk powder, milk proteins, caseinates, colourings and preservatives are prohibited.

The curd drains to a certain water content and is mixed evenly with salt. Up to 15 % fresh butter made from the cream of Cycladic milk may be added, as well as up to 10 % high-quality older Kopanisti, locally called “Mana” (mother), which speeds up ripening. The mass is placed in wide-mouthed containers and kept in a cool, damp place until plenty of microbes form on the surface by themselves. It is then kneaded so that they are evenly distributed and put back into the containers. This is repeated two to four times; ripening usually takes 30 to 40 days. Production and processing of the milk and ripening take place in the area.

Origin & history

The Cyclades comprise 24 inhabited and over 100 uninhabited islands and rocky islets in the South Aegean. Pastures make up over 55 % of their area. The climate is temperate to maritime, with an annual mean of 18 to 19 °C and little rain; the islands are considered one of the windiest regions of Greece, and the meltemi makes the summers cool. Many endemic and aromatic plants grow on the pastures, which according to the specification contribute to the aroma of the cheese. The sheep are small, adapted to the difficult conditions and give only 80 to 120 l of milk a year; the cattle are mainly Friesian-Holstein, Swiss and the local Tzia breed.

According to the specification, Kopanisti comes from the Cyclades, and its production there has a long, uninterrupted tradition. In 1809 the physician Markakis Zalonis from Tinos described in a travel book a soft cheese “that is stronger and spicier than old Roquefort”; the specification relates this to Kopanisti. In 1899 Liambeys wrote that the cheese had an intense, peppery taste and was regarded as a delicacy. A specialist book from 1980 counts the Kopanisti from Mykonos and Tinos among the best known of its kind. Adding butter was customary, at least on Tinos, in home production too.