Naxos Island Gruyere Cheese

With its sweet and buttery taste, Naxos Gruyere Cheese, is one of the finest cheeses in Greece and a popular choice for table cheese. It is a relatively recent addition to the diverse world of Greek cheeses, first produced in the 20th century in the Peloponnese. It quickly gained popularity and spread to mainland Greece and Crete, where excellent gruyeres were made from sheep's milk. Interestingly, the Cyclades islands, particularly Naxos, Tinos, and Paros, are the only region in Greece where gruyere is made from cow's milk. Naxos gruyere is a hard cheese with a pale yellow color, a solid elastic texture, and scattered holes. It is formed into cylindrical heads, usually weighing around ten kilos, with a thin rind covered by microbial growth that contributes to its maturation. This cheese is known for its sweet flavor, full and rich taste, and a more intense aroma of butter and milk, with a hint of nuttiness. It has been recognized as a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) product and is made from cow's milk or a blend of cow's, sheep's, and goat's milk, with a ratio of 80% to 20%.