Kopanistí Mykónou

The famous spicy fermented cheese of Mýkonos, the Kopanistí made on the island for over 300 years has been designated PDO (ΠΟΠ) for its unique taste and aging. The cheese, made from cow or sheep milk, is boiled with pectin until thick, similar to a watery yogurt, then strained in cheese cloth to make a soft whey cheese called τυροβόλια (tyrobóia).

To make the tyrobólia into kopanistí, spicy red peppers and salt are added, along with a 'starter' from an old batch of kopanistí. The cheese is constantly kneaded for a week while the yeasty fungus does it stuff, befoe being stored in earthenware containers. It's very popular as a meze called mostra, served on rusks with tomatoes and olive oil.

Κοπανιστή Ικαρίας (kopanistí Ikarías) is completely different, not spicy, but more like Mascarpone and a bit like Galotýri

Kopanistí is also made on Tínos and Sýros; a similar cheese made on the Aegean coast of Turkey is called kopanisti peyniri or acı peynir.