Skyros Cheeses

Η Skyros has a long livestock tradition, after all custom of bells solemnly confirms this tradition. Nowadays, livestock farming continues in Skyros, which has over 40.000 lambs. Unfortunately, very few of them produce milk for cheese-making, because farmers are content with subsidies of about 20 euros per animal and do not milk their milk.

Nevertheless, some ranchers milk their animals and produce them Skyrian cheeses, without having yet created a modern certified cheese factory so that the cheeses can travel to the official markets of Athens.

The cheeses of Skyros is the fresh myzithra, the sour cream, one marvelous white soft cheese from goat's and sheep's milk with a slightly sour taste and yoghurt texture. The locals are also very nice gruyere with the spicy taste, which is a good meze for wine. Skyros used to have a special method of preserving and maturing gruyere.

In the spring, after the gruyeres were ready, they took her heads and placed them in a special clay jar that was buried inside the house. They spread the surface of the cheeses with thyme, on top they placed another layer with gruyere heads and again thyme and again gruyeres until it was full. Then they sealed the pitcher and covered it with soil, leaving it there from spring to December and traditionally opening it on Christmas days. Some heads were given to peskesi to friends and obligations and with the rest the winter came out until the next year the cheese-making started. Most of the pots have been destroyed because the houses have paved their floors and only in  Faltaits Museum one can see some beautiful of the season.