🧀 Kefalograviera
Also known as: Κεφαλογραβιέρα
Kefalograviera is a Greek PDO hard cheese made from sheep milk, sometimes with a little goat milk, ripened for at least 3 months.
Kefalograviera is a Greek hard cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), registered in the EU in 1996. It is made from sheep milk or from a mix of sheep and goat milk in which goat milk is only a small share, up to one tenth.
Where it is made. The PDO area covers Western Macedonia, Epirus and the prefectures of Aetolia-Acarnania and Evrytania, the mountainous north-west of Greece with large flocks of sheep.
How it is made. The milk is coagulated with rennet, the curd is cut small and warmed, pressed into round wheels, salted and left to ripen. Kefalograviera ripens for at least 3 months. The name joins two well-known Greek cheeses, kefalotyri and graviera, and in style it sits between them.
Taste and texture. The rind is hard; the paste is pale yellow and firm with small irregular holes. The flavour is salty, full and sharp, with a clear sheep-milk aroma.
How to eat it. Kefalograviera is grated over pasta and bakes, fried as saganaki, served with meze and on a cheese board with red wine (see Wine and cheese). It belongs to the Hard cheeses group.
Kefalograviera belongs to the sections Greek cheeses and Protected cheese names; its main raw material is sheep milk, sometimes with goat milk.
Why it matters to you. Kefalograviera is an aged cheese and keeps well in the fridge wrapped in parchment. The name is protected in the EU: genuine Kefalograviera PDO is made only in the listed prefectures of north-western Greece.
Facts
| Raw material | Sheep milk or sheep with goat milk (up to 10%) |
|---|---|
| Country | Greece |
| Region | Western Macedonia, Epirus, Aetolia-Acarnania, Evrytania |
| Duration | At least 3 months |
| Legal basis | EU PDO since 21.06.1996, PDO-GR-0444 1 |
What it includes
How it connects to Cheese
🧀 Kefalograviera → kind of → 🪨 Hard cheeses → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Sheep's milk, 🥛 Goat's milk
- Part of
- 🪨 Hard cheeses, 🏷️ Protected cheese names, 🇬🇷 Greek cheeses
- Similar and different
- 🧀 Dodoni Yellow Cheeses
Frequently asked questions
How long is Kefalograviera aged?
For at least 3 months.
How is Kefalograviera used?
Grated over pasta and bakes, fried as saganaki, served with meze and on a cheese board.
Is it true that Kefalograviera is just graviera?
No. It is a separate PDO cheese, saltier and sharper than graviera; in style it sits between kefalotyri and graviera.
What to read next
- 🧀 Dodoni Yellow Cheeses — Dodoni Yellow Cheeses is the range of Greek hard and semi-hard 'yellow' cheeses from Dodoni in Epirus: Kefalograviera PDO, kefalotyri, cow's and sheep's milk graviera and toast cheese.
- 🥛 Sheep's milk — The richest in protein and calcium of the common milks; almost all of it goes into cheese.
- 🥛 Goat's milk — Close to cow's milk in its main values; smaller fat globules and a characteristic “goaty” taste.
Similar
🧀 Arseniko Naxou · 🧀 Graviera Agrafon · 🧀 Canestrato di Moliterno · 🧀 Paški sir · 🧀 Queijo de Cabra Transmontano · 🧀 Roncal
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.