Cycladic cheesemaking traditions: knowledge and techniques (Grecia)
Candidatura: Lista representativa 2026
EN: In Amorgos, Vangelis Mendrinos makes containers from plants for draining the cheese (tyrovolia). Craftsmen skilled in similar techniques of making cheesemaking equipment can be found everywhere in the Cyclades.
EN: Cheesemaking is part of the daily life of rural households in the Cyclades. Yiannis Vavoulas (Naxos) turns the cheese over in the basket (tyrovoli) to complete the curdling process.
EN: As part of the Mediterranean diet, cheese is an important part of the Cycladic diet, as it is all over Greece. In the picture Liza Zouganeli (Mykonos) shows us her cheeses and a cheese pie she made with them.
EN: Elderly women are valuable keepers of local cheesemaking knowledge and practices. Zambeta Asimomomiti in Mykonos proudly displays the cheese she has made for her family.
EN: Rural houses usually have a special area for the preparation and storage of cheese. This room is characterised by a meticulous sense of cleanliness and order, but also by a sense of simplicity and beauty.
EN: Kariki is a special cheese made in Tinos from cow's milk. It is matured in a gourd, which gives it its characteristic taste.
EN: Today, Cycladic cheeses, many of which are produced in very small quantities, are an object of special culinary pleasure and gastronomic experience. This picture shows Kariki after it has fully matured.
EN: Many young people train to become professional cheesemakers, usually continuing the family cheesemaking tradition. Leonidas Vlavianos studied at the Ioannina Dairy School, which was founded in 1917 and is the most important cheese training institution in Greece.
EN: The photo shows the ripening room in the dairy of Nicolas Pittaras in Naxos. This is the island where arseniko cheese, one of the most famous PDO Cycladic cheeses, is produced.
EN: The effect of the wind, humidity, temperature and equipment, such as wooden shelves like the one in the picture, on the ripening of the cheese is part of the knowledge the bearers of the element have.
