Xygalo Siteias

Xygalo Siteias (Traditional Sour Greek Cheese)

Xygalo Siteias is a PDO-protected fresh sour cheese from the Lasithi region of eastern Crete, traditionally made from sheep's milk (often with a little goat's milk) and ripened in its own whey. This recipe follows the home-dairy method of culturing fresh milk and draining it in cheesecloth, producing a tangy, creamy, spreadable cheese similar to a thick labneh or rustic cream cheese.

Prep

45 min

Cook

30 min

Total

75 min

Serves

Makes about 500 g (18 oz)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •4 L (1 gal) fresh full-fat sheep's milk, traditional; cow's milk or a 70/30 sheep/goat blend also works
• •60 ml (¼ cup) fresh whey or live plain yogurt, use a traditional Greek-style yogurt with live cultures
• •1 ml (¼ tsp) liquid rennet (single strength), or ¼ rennet tablet dissolved in 30 ml (2 tbsp) cool water; traditional method uses a small amount of kid or lamb rennet
• •2.5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt, adjust to taste; Cretan shepherds often use a little less

Steps

1. 1 Heat the milk gently in a heavy stainless-steel pot to 32 °C (90 °F). Do not exceed 35 °C (95 °F), as high heat kills the cultures that give xygalo its characteristic sour flavor.
2. 2 Stir in the fresh whey or yogurt to inoculate the milk. Cover and hold at 30–32 °C (86–90 °F) for 1 hour to ripen; the milk should smell faintly tangy.
3. 3 Dilute the rennet in 30 ml (2 tbsp) cool water, stir it gently into the milk in one motion, and cover. Let sit undisturbed at 30 °C (86 °F) for 45–60 minutes, until you have a clean break and clear greenish whey.
4. 4 Cut the curd gently into roughly 2.5 cm (1 in) cubes with a long knife. Let the curds rest 10 minutes so they firm up slightly.
5. 5 Line a large colander with a fine cheesecloth (or a doubled piece of muslin). Ladle the curds and whey into the cloth, then gather the corners and tie into a bundle.
6. 6 Hang the bundle over a bowl to drain at cool room temperature (18–22 °C / 64–72 °F) for 18–24 hours, until the whey stops dripping and the curds are thick like thick yogurt. Reserve the drained whey.
7. 7 Unwrap and stir in the salt. Pack the cheese into a clean glass or ceramic crock, pour a little of the reserved whey over the top to cover, and cover the container.
8. 8 Let the cheese ripen in a cool place (12–15 °C / 54–60 °F is ideal) for 3 to 7 days, tasting daily. The flavor will deepen from mildly milky to distinctly tangy and complex. Once it reaches the sourness you like, store in the refrigerator and use within about 10 days.
9. 9 Serve drizzled with extra-virgin Cretan olive oil, with crusty bread, olives, and a sprinkle of dried oregano, the classic Lasithi way.