Description
The Kefalograviera PDO is a hard table cheese produced with ovine milk or with a mixture of ovine and caprine milk, the latter of which should not exceed 10%.
Production Area
The production area of the Kefalograviera PDO is within the prefectures of Ioannina, Thesprotia, Arta and Preveza in the Epirus region, in the prefectures of Florina, Kozani, Kastoria, and Grevena in the Western Macedonia region and in the prefectures of Aetolia-Acarnania and Evrytania, in the Western Greece and Evrytania in the Central Greece.
Production Method
The milk curdling takes place at 32-34°C. After that, the curd is separated, heated to approximately 48°C, poured into the moulds and pressed. The cheese is then transferred to rooms with temperatures of 14-16°C. The day after, the cheese is pickled at 18-20 degrees Baumé, where is remains for about two days. The maturation initially takes place in rooms with a temperature of 14-16°C, where the cheese is also submitted to approximately 10 superficial dry salting procedures, while the second phase continues in rooms with a temperature lower than 6°C. The ripening lasts for at least three months.
Appearance and Flavour
The Kefalograviera PDO is a table cheese with a thin rind and a hard white paste with small holes, which remains soft in the first six months of ripening, and then starts to harden. It has a pleasant slightly salty taste and a somewhat strong aroma.
History
The Kefalograviera PDO derives from the kefalotyri and originated in 1912. The production technique was brought to perfection in Epirus, and was then standardised in 1967 at Dodoni by the manufacturer Alexis Pappas.
Gastronomy
The Kefalograviera PDO should be kept in a cool and dry place, preferably in the refrigerator, in the less cold part. The fresh Kefalograviera PDO can be eaten as appetizer, cut into small cubes, served with red wine and with bread. It can also be used as ingredient in the preparation of some salads or omelettes. When it is cooked, its taste becomes stronger. Once the ripening period is over, the paste of this cheese is harder and it can thus also be grated.
Marketing
The product is sold as Kefalograviera PDO. It is marketed whole, in pre-packaged pieces with a weight varying from 500 gr to 5 kg, or grated in suitable packages.
Distinctive Features
The milk used for the preparation of the Kefalograviera PDO comes from races of goats and sheep that are bred according to traditional methods and their nutrition is essentially composed by the typical flora of the production area.
