Best Rated European Pasteurised Milk Cheeses (2023) - TASTE ATLAS
November 02, 2023
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A Greek cheese was chosen among the 4 best in the world - and another 19 Greek cheeses are listed among the top 100 best cheeses
The Gruyère produced by Greece is appreciated all over the world.
In a list of 23.863 cheeses from around the world, 19 cheeses produced in Greece were selected among the 100 best rated European Pasteurised Milk Cheeses. One Greek cheese is on TOP 4.
(Taste Atlas is recommended as an 'encyclopedia of tastes'. It has catalogs of more than 10.000 foods and drinks, highlighting the most popular of each category)
In that of cheeses made from pasteurized cow's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk, Greece has a total of 19 appearances in the top 100. The Naxos Graviera is placed in the best position among all the 19 Greek cheeses that are in the list of TOP 100 cheeses of TASTE ATLAS.
In total, 23.863 cheeses were examined out of 35.895 suggested by the website users of TasteAtlas, who also voted for the best cheeses. The organizing authority made it clear that it has a series of mechanisms to guarantee that bots do not vote or other types of abuses occur.
Greek cheeses ranked in the Taste-Atlas top 100 cheeses in the world
Let's see where the Greek cheeses ranked were among the 100 best cheeses in Europe:
No. 96, Anthogalo from Chania (Crete),
at No. 81, Xinomyzithra of Crete,
at No. 68 the Graviera of Agrafa,
at No. 67 the Messinian Sfela,
at No.65 the Batzos of Thessaly,
at No. 61, San Michalis of Syros island,
at No. 59, the Ladotiri of Mytilini island,
at No. 53 the Manouri of Thessaly,
at No. 45 the Arseniko of Naxos island,
at No. 44 the Krasotiri of Kos island,
at No. 42 the Kalathaki of Limnos island,
at No. 32, the Anthotyros from Crete island,
at No. 31 the Mastelo of Chios island,
at No. 30 the Metsovone of Metsovo,
at No. 22 the Melichloro of Lemnos island,
at No. 16 the Graviera of Crete island,
at No. 14 the Cephalograviera of Epirus,
in No. 12 the Cephalotiri and
at No. 4 is Graviera of Naxos island.
Cretan diary products
The specialty of the Graviera of Naxos (Graviera Naxou) - Gruyère of Naxos:
In this TASTE ATLAS list of top rated cheeses produced by pasteurized milk, below each cheese is mentioned how it is produced and its characteristics.
In the listing of Graviera of Naxos, (the best Greek cheese) according to the Taste Atlas, you can read:
"it has been produced on the Cycladic island of Naxos for at least a century. Naxos graviera is made from pasteurized cow's milk or a mixture of sheep's milk and goat's milk, with the content of the latter being up to 20%. It has a thin skin and a light yellow and solid interior, full of small holes. Naxos Gruyere is a hard cheese with a cool taste and light aroma. Its moisture content is up to 38% and its fat content is at least 40%. The milk used for its production comes from the animals that grow on the island and feed on the local flora, plants and herbs that give the milk its unique taste."
Graviera Naxou - Top Greek Cheeses
Meanwhile, the No. 1 cheese changed this year. You won't find Parmigianno Reggiano there anymore, but another Italian cheese: it's Stracchino di Crescenza. Produced in Lombardy, Stracchino di Crescenza's texture is creamy and buttery, which is why it is often used as a spread. The flavors are mild, fruity and sweet.
Mozzarella di Bufala di Campagna (Italy) follows, ranked in the second place of the list of best cheeses, with creamy St. Andre from Coutances in Normandy (France) rounding out the top three.
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Best Rated European Pasteurized Milk Cheeses (2023) - https://www.tasteatlas.com/best-rated-pasteurized-milk-cheeses-in-europe
TASTE ATLAS - 10 Most Popular Cheeses in the World: the Greek FETA cheese ranked 3rd most popular cheese in the world
https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-cheeses-in-the-world
TASTE ATLAS - 10 Best Rated Cheeses in the World: the Greek Graviera Naxou cheese ranked 7th best rated cheese in the world
https://www.tasteatlas.com/best-rated-cheeses-in-the-world
TASTE ATLAS - 10 Most Popular Hard Cheeses in the World: the Greek Kefalotyri cheese is ranking in the top 10 most popular hard cheeses in the world
https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-hard-cheeses-in-the-world
In the TASTE ATLAS list of BEST RATED European Hard Cheeses
best rated European Hard Cheeses in 2023
three Greek cheeses are listed among the best 10 cheeses
eight Greek cheeses are ranked among the best 30 cheeses
2nd best rated European Hard Cheese is ranked the Graviera Naxou (Naxos island, Greece)
9th best rated European Hard Cheese is ranked Kefalotyri (Greece)
10th best rated European Hard Cheese is ranked Kefalograviera (Epirus, Greece)
12th best rated European Hard Cheese is ranked Graviera Kritis (Crete island, Greece)
14th best rated European Hard Cheese is ranked Melichloro Lemnos (Lemnos island, Greece)
18th best rated European Hard Cheese is ranked Metsovone (Metsovo, Epirus, Greece)
27th best rated European Hard Cheese is ranked Ladotyri Mytilinis (Lesbos island (Mytilene), Greece)
30th best rated European Hard Cheese is ranked Graviera Agrafon (Thessaly, Greece)
72th best rated European Hard Cheese is ranked Xynotyto (Mykonos island, Greece)
the full list of BEST RATED European Hard Cheeses - https://www.tasteatlas.com/europe/hard-cheeses
Some facts and notes on cheese - Greek Cheeses in particular
Greece produces a huge variety of cheeses, there are too many Greek cheeses, some hard to find and some not.
Greeks are the number one cheese consuming nation on the planet (in terms of average yearly consumption per capita). The Greeks are still the biggest cheese eaters in the world, surpassing even the French (23,75 kg of cheese per person per year for the French, 34,25 kg of cheese per person consumed per year by the Greeks on average).
In Greece, in this amazing place, the production of cheese and dairies has a tradition of many centuries and it is even speculated that for the ancient Greeks, cheese was a sacred food. In Greek mythology, it is mentioned that the knowledge of cheese-making was given to people as a gift by the gods of Olympus, when, as it is said, it was discovered by the son of Apollo, Aristeas. We have references to cheese-making in ancient Greece in the writings of Aristophanes and Aristotle, while Homer has made the most famous one, in the Odyssey, when he mentions the preparation of cheese from goat and sheep milk by the one-eyed Cyclop Polyphemus, who was blinded by Odysseus.
Greece is the third country in the number (variety) of cheeses produced in Europe with a rich and ancient cheese-making tradition...
Almost every region of our country has its own tradition in cheese production, while more than 105 different types of cheese have been recorded.
Cheeses are a culinary wonder dating back at least 8.000 years. Cheesemaking is essentially a form of milk preservation based, like any other preservation, on two principles: lactic fermentation and the reduction of water content.
Greece has 21 Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheeses. Almost 20 years have passed (1996) since the first 20 excellent Greek cheeses were registered as PDO and PGI products on the European Union market, while in the intervening years until today only one more cheese was added, the Xigalo of Sitia (Crete).
Looking at the European Union (EU) and the countries that make it up, we see that there is a huge national wealth (morals and customs) in each of EU's regions, which must be protected not only for commercial reasons but also for reasons of tradition.
An important part of this wealth are products intended for human consumption and are completely characterized by the available raw materials, the climatic conditions of the region and the long experience and technique of the craftsmen of the region. Thus, in 1992 some rules were instituted on the basis of which such agricultural products and foodstuffs are protected under the designations of PDO (Products of Protected Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and EPIP (Traditional Specific Products Guaranteed). In international markets, certified PDO and PGI products are one of the strongest advantages of Greek agriculture due to their incomparable quality and their unique organoleptic characteristics.
There are different types of cheese, which are categorized based on texture, color or the way they are made. Some are white or yellow, fresh or ripe, but also soft, semi-hard and hard.