If you’ve tasted Kopanisti you would remember it as its a kind of Greek Époisses. This cheese is produced in the Cyclades islands from local sheep, or goats that are traditionally raised on a diet of indigenous plants. The cheese curd remains in the cheese booth for 24 hours, and then are placed in cloth sacks and drained.

The drained curd is mixed with salt and placed in a container with a large opening in a cool room with a high relative humidity, until a specific micro-flora develop. It is then stirred repeatedly and left to rest until a new micro-flora develops on its surface. This process is repeated 3-5 times during which a fermentation takes place and the cheese gets a funky aroma. This process of agitating the cheese curd lasts approximately 30+ days.

This was a dish prepared by Adonia, the creative stop behind the Tothalassaki restaurant’s facade in Isternia bay Tinos. This is coffee and kopanasti, a wise combination to balance the intensity of the cheese.