Cow’s milk cheeses are a bit of a rarity in Greece. And a pasta filata cow’s milk cheese is pretty much unheard of. Meet Metsovone, a glorious Greek PDO cheese inspired by Provolone.
Where does Metsovone come from?
Metsovone is a naturally smoked pasta filata cheese that finds its roots in the region of Metsovo in Epirus. Actually, the cheese gets its name from the Vlach capital, Metsovo, a preserved, historic mountain town that is located at an impasse in the Pindus Mountains.
How is Metsovone made?
In a similar manner to Gravieria Naxou, the PDO specifies that Metsovone can be made with a mixture of cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk. But the percentage of cow’s milk has to be at least 80% of total milk. In order to learn the art of pasta filata, young locals were sent to Italy by the Tossitsa family for training.
As a result, Metsovone smells, looks and tastes quite a bit like Provolone Piccante. However, it does differ in one major way. Because it is naturally smoked during maturation, the cheese develops a certain smoky quality.
How to serve Metsovone
Metsovone is a good table cheese but truly excels when melted on a butterflied steak, mushrooms or potatoes. Besides, the locals enjoy grilling slices of this cheese and sprinkle them with cayenne pepper or paprika. Also, it pairs beautifully with a glass of a local red wine.
Thank you for reading
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