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The history of cheese
 Eight thousand years a go, both sheep and goad appeared in the Mediterranean
region and the history of cheese has begun!
The first evidence of nutrition by ruminant's milk appear in Greek
mythology when Jupiter hidden from his father, would be fed on milk extracted
from a goat called Amaltheia.
Homer gives a detailed description of Polyphemous, the shepherd and
cheese-maker Cyclop, while describing small pieces of cheese maturing in the
cave.
Both Aristotle and Dioskourides have given the earliest known recipes
to produce cheese. In ancient Athens, there was a designated area for the
production of cheese in the market and in ancient Sparta; a whole ritual took
place on the context of cheese theft that formed part of the military training.
During the Byzantine Empire in the Greek world, cheese making was
considerably extended. The limited evidence we have at our disposal, refer
to the "Vlachiko" most likely what is known today as "Feta" cheese and "myzethra" (a kind of salt-less soft whey cheese), after which the City of Myzethras-Mystras
was named.
During the Turkish Occupation, in both mainland Greece and the Aegean
islands, this tradition continued and In late19th century, the newly established
modern Greek state, through its ministers, would promptly perceive the economic
significance of livestock breeding and appoint Raymond Demetriades, a renown
Greek cheese maker, to train new cheese makers. His task was later taken-up
by cheese makers Zygouris and Polychroniades.
A National Commission of Milk was set up subsequently, promoting
cheese producers' interests.
For the Greeks, contrary to Europeans, cheese is not a meal supplement;
it is a meal by itself. Traditionally, in other European countries, as in
France, cheese is served as a dessert, or as an appetizer as in the case of
Italy (otsarela al pesto or fresh Parmesan with olive oil and rocket).
On the contrary, in Greece cheese is eaten all the time, alone, as
it is, fried or cooked, as a main ingredient in a variety of dishes. There
is also a cheese delicacy, “tyropita” (cheese pie) “the national snack”, derived
from Greeks’ love for cheese. A flourishing industry and fortunes have been
made upon and from "tyropites". Even today, after the invasion of so many foreign eating habits, there are
thousands of cheese pie shops all over the country, as there is still a strong
appetite for tyropita in Greece. These shops are so popular among the Greek
people that enable them to resist and face on equal terms the biggest fast
food chains of hamburgers, American style pizzas, etc.
Greeks usually have for breakfast a mild or salted cheese, soft hard
or semi-hard, for a snack, most of the times, they have a piece of yellow
or white cheese, according to taste. At lunchtime, cheese is always set on
the table. It taverns, feta cheese is brought to the table before anything
else, even before the wine. Cheese is served with starters, the salad, the
main course, even with fruit. A memorable combination of higher gastronomical
taste is feta cheese with melon or graviera cheese with “sultana” grapes.
In ancient Greece, the consumption of meat was only allowed after
the animal had been sacrificed to a God and was therefore a meal for special
occasions only. Milk and its products were the main addition to the otherwise
vegetarian diet.
This is a dietary tradition that has continued till the late 60s.
In later years, affluence and the affordable availability of meat products
has partially change the eating habits of the Greeks, but the love for cheese,
remain the same.
The choice has been made. Cheese is obviously cheaper than meat,
even today, and provides proteins and energy, and Greece is at the top of
cheese consumption, within the European Countries, amounting up to 23 kilos
per year per person followed by the French, who consume 22 kilos while the
Germans consume about 8-10 kilos and the Japanese only 2 kilos.
| producer |
Terra Aeolica S.A. |
 Dawn and Panayiotis Andonellis, a couple with great enthusiasm for clean environment
and organic cultivation, have created this small company, to produce
and pack Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil in the 3rd largest Greek
island "Lesvos" from the indigenes olive varieties “Andramydiani & Kolovi”.
However, their activities do not stop here. A few years ago, they
produced the first-ever organic cheese in Greece! Today, their small dairy
unit produces “Feta cheese” and “Ladotyri” a unique cheese of Lesvos preserved
in olive oil, of the highest quality.
| products |
Terra Aeolica Feta P.D.0. |
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Feta is the most famous traditional Greek cheese, dating back to the Homeric
ages. It is a white soft cheese, ripened and kept in brine for at least
two months. It has been and still remains a significant part of Greek diet
and its name is often connected with the Greek history and tradition.
The average (per capita) annual consumption of Feta in
Greece is more than 12 Kg, out of a total cheese consumption of 23 Kg,
which is the highest in the world. Feta is a cheese with Protected Designation
of Origin (PDO) manufactured from pure ewe's milk or a mixture with up
to 30% of goat's milk in the regions of Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly,
Sterea Hellas, Peloponnesus and Lesvos Island. It has salty, slightly acid
taste, natural white color and pleasant organoleptic characteristics.
Feta is manufactured mainly in mountainous and semi-
mountainous regions of Greece where the use of any harmful substances (fertilizers,
pesticides etc.) is very scarce. It is distributed to the market in barrels,
in tin boxes or in the form of plastic-wrapped pieces and is consumed as
table cheese, in the famous Greek salad. In cheese-pastries and quite often
as saganaki (shallow-fried cheese). |
| products |
Terra Aeolica Graviera |
| producer |
Pittas Industries Ltd. |
 Two brothers, Andreas and Costas Pittas, founded Pittas Dairy Industries Ltd
in 1939 which has grown into the leading manufacturer of dairy products in
Cyprus . Two generations of confident and innovative expansion has made Pittas
a leader in the dairy industry with exports all over the world. They were
the first company in Cyprus to import modern equipment and the first to use
pasteurization in the production methods for traditional Cypriot dairy products
such as Halloumi ®, Feta, Kashkaval Cheese and Yogurt. Today the company employs over 200 people
and uses the most modern manufacturing processes while still utilizing the
skill and craftsmanship of traditional cheese makers.
Halloumi ®is a national treasure and is unique to Cyprus. Cypriots know there is no better
thing in the world.
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Pittas Halloumi cheese |
Non Animal Rennet |
The name "Halloumi" derives from the ancient Greek word "Hals" which means "sea" from which the word "halas" (salt) and "halmi" (brine) come. The saltiness comes from the fact that the cheese is preserved
in brine, which made traditional Halloumi very salty. Nowadays it is less
so, but it does retain its characteristic spongy texture and mild, fresh
mint flavor.
Made in the centuries-old tradition from pure milk, this
traditional cheese of the island, has been a staple in the Cypriot diet
for as long as there have been shepherds tending their folds in this classically
beautiful Mediterranean landscape. A delicious cultural achievement, halloumi
is a soft, springy cheese made from pure milk. With its unique taste somewhere
between feta and a mozzarella - Halloumi is a wonderful ingredient for
salads, soups, pizzas or pasta. |
| products |
FAGE FETA(P.D.O) |
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