Batzos
A semi-hard to hard cheese which is produced traditionally from sheep's milk or goat's milk or from a mixture of the two and ripened and stored in brine.
Geographical area: Thessaly, Western and Central Macedonia.
This well-esteemed cheese had been produced for many decades. It is produced using traditional technology and ripened in installations within the defined geographical area.
The milk is coagulated at 28-32°C over about 50 minutes. The curd is broken up left to settle in the vat for 30 minutes , stirred and
reheated to 45°C. It is then taken out and placed in cheesecloths for draining. The following day it is cut into slabs and surface salted. After 5 days it is placed in metal containers containing brine of 10-12% salt and left to ripen for not less than 3 months.
