Ladotyri

The first time I ever tried Ladotyri was during my visit to the island of Naxos. Located in the Cyclades islands, Naxos is the largest of this cluster of islands and it boasts of being self-reliant with it’s own water, livestock, extensive crop farming and beautiful beaches to attract its fair share of tourists.

The second encounter with Ladotyri occurred this past summer during my first visit to the island of Crete (also Greece’s largest island). Crete is also self-sufficient with it’s abundance of land, agriculture industry, goat and sheep farming, too many wild greens to rhyme off here and again, enough natural beauty to attract tourists for years to come.

Both of these islands have a reputation for producing some of Greece’s best cheeses and in particular, Ladotyri. Ladotyri is literally translated as “oil cheese” and it’s made from sheep’s milk (or a combo or both sheep and goat’s milk). I should mention that the island of Mytilini (Lesvos) also produces a Ladotyri.

The methods can (and do vary) from island to island but basically this cheese is air-dried until it has lost about 40% of its moisture. For its production, milk coagulation occurs at 32-34  Celcius and enough rennet is added so that coagulation is complete in 30 minutes. The curd is then divided and warmed up to 45 Celcius and poured into the cylindrical moulds. It cheese then gets rubbed in sea salt and left in cool rooms (12-18C) with a high humidity of about 85%. In Crete, some Ladotyri are stored and allowed to mature in caves…ideal for recreating this cool and humid environment. The usual time the cheese is stored is for about 3 months.

The cheese is then stored in olive oil (for an indefinite period of time) and the longer it stays in the oil, the more peppery the flavour becomes. Ladotryi comes in the form of 1-2 lb. cylinders and it’s a yellowish/white, firm cheese. As Ladotyri has a low moisture content when mature, it can resist the effects of time if stored in oil. The idea to store cheese in oi is an old one…an olden method of preserving cheese – before the time of fridges.

In the last days of my stay in Crete, I did a little shopping in Hania’s central market. I had requests for Cretan cheeses: Xinomyzithra, Graviera and Ladotyri cheeses. I was offered samples of all three cheeses before agreeing to buy them and of the three, the Ladotyri was definitely the firmest. The cheeses were carefully packed and I transported than in a cooler lined with ice packs. The cheeses traveled by ferry boat from Crete to Piraeus (Athens) then by train to Thessaloniki and a short drive back to my family’s summer home in Halkidiki. There , I made stored half of the Ladotyri in oil and dried Greek oregano and the other half came with me all the way to Canada. For the record, Canada Customs will allow you to bring firm/hard cheeses (unfortunately Feta is risky as some friends were able to bring it in and others had it confiscated) back from overseas (Greece). Ensure that you declare on your customs form that you’re bringing in firm/hard cheeses and you’ll pass through the interview without a hitch.*

If you’ve traveled to Greece or are planning a trip to Greece, you should be able to find some Ladotyri and a good “Bakalyko” or deli (even if not in Crete, Naxos or Mytlini). To those without reasonable access to Ladotyri, you may use a Graviera or Kefalograviera cheese to do what I am about to show you…store cheese in olive oil. Graviera is the “Greek Gruyere”, mainly because of the large holes (like Swiss) present in the cheese. It too is a sheep’s milk cheese and it has this natural sweetness about it. If you can find Graviera, store it in your fridge for a month to age and firm-up a bit before trying this. Kefalograviera is a cheese similar to Graviera, it’s aged longer and it’s slightly saltier than Graviera. It too would work well in lieu of Ladotyri.

Some stores will also sell jars of Ladotyri in oil and these items seem to also be popular. What we’re going to do today is store our own Ladotyri in oliveo oil. Why store cheese is olive oil? Mainly because you can and ultimately it tastes great. A peppery Ladotyri is enhanced in the 6 week bath it takes in the olive oil and to emulate some of the Ladotyris I’ve tasted with herbs and olive oil, I added some dried Greek oregano into the mix. After the cheese has been stored in oil and oregano for a minimum of six weeks, open the jar, take out the cheese and serve at your table with some good, crusty bread and enjoy. When the cheese is all done, that olive oil is perfectly fine for cooking…waste not – want not!

Ladotyri (λαδοτυρι)

Ladotyri cheese (or aged Graviera or Kefalograviera)

Extra-virgin Greek olive oil

Approx. 1 Tbsp. dried Greek oregano (dried thyme or rosemary is also wonderful)

1. Trim the hard outer layer of your cheese and cut into thick sticks or cubes. Stuff as much cheese into a jar as you can. Add the dried oregano and then pour in enough olive oil to just cover the cheese. Secure the lid and store in a cool, dark place such as a cupboard or cellar for a minimum of six weeks. Serve as a table cheese.

* I brought the cheeses into Canada on Sept.16th, 2010 (declared on the customs form). It’s always good to check for any changes/bulletins on what can and cannot be brought back to your country.

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© 2007-2010 Peter Minakis