🧀 Kashkavali Pindou

Kashkavali Pindou is a Greek semi-hard pasta filata cheese with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). It is made from sheep milk or from a mix of sheep and goat milk, and it is a local kind of Balkan kashkaval. The EU register lists two forms of the name: Kashkavali Pindou and Kashkaval Pindou.

Where it is made. The area is the Pindus range in north-western Greece, where large flocks of sheep and goats have been kept for centuries and moved to summer pastures. A PGI means that at least one stage of production takes place in this area.

How it is made. The milk is coagulated with rennet, the curd is left to acidify, then cut and scalded in hot water while it is kneaded and stretched, as with other Pasta filata cheeses. The cheeses are salted and left to ripen.

Taste and texture. The paste is pale yellow, dense and springy; the taste is salty and distinct, with an aroma of sheep milk. The cheese melts well.

How to eat it. Kashkavali Pindou is fried as saganaki, baked, added to pies and toasted sandwiches, or served on a cheese board with red wine (see Wine and cheese). In style it is close to Greek Kasseri.

Kashkavali Pindou belongs to the sections Greek cheeses and Protected cheese names; its raw material is sheep milk, sometimes with goat milk.

Why it matters to you. “Kashkaval” is a general Balkan name, while Kashkavali Pindou is a geographical indication protected in the EU that guarantees the cheese's link with the Pindus mountains.