This cheese is produced in several places in Greece but has protected designation of origin status in three: (Agrafa, a densely wooded mountainous region in northwestern Greece; Crete; and Naxos). It celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2004. The techniques for making it were imported with one of the fathers of the modern Greek cheese industry, the Swiss-trained Nikos Zigouris, who was head of cheese-making at the royal estate in the Peloponessos. Faced with a surplus of sheep’s milk, he experimented, producing a cheese with sheep’s milk but in the style of Swiss gruyere. The Greek name graviera is a transliteration of the Swiss gruyere. The graviera produced in Agrafa tends to be a little harder and drier than those produced on Crete and Naxos. It is pale yellow with small, irregular holes and a mild, buttery flavor. It is made from unpasteurized sheep’s milk or a combination of sheep’s and goat’s milk. Once the curds are set, they are cut on a table to the size of corn kernels, then reheated so that as much moisture as possible dissipates. These reheated curds are then placed in round drum-like molds, pressed, then lightly salted. The cheese is then is aged for at least three months.
