Xygalo Siteias is a product of milk acidification. It is white, pasty and/or granular in texture and skinless. It tastes fresh, sourish, slightly salty and has a pleasant characteristic aroma. It has a maximum moisture content of 75 % and a maximum salt content of 1,5 %, whilst its fat in dry matter ranges from 33 % to 46 % and it has a minimum protein content of 31,5 %.

Xygalo Siteias is produced from goat's milk or sheep's milk, or a mixture of both if the quantity of goat's milk is insufficient, with the fat content of the sheep's milk adjusted, so that the fat content of the final product remains under 46 % (in dry matter). The milk mixture is then pasteurised (optional) and cooled to 25 °C. Salt (NaCl) is added to a maximum of 2 % by weight, as are harmless acidic bacterial cultures and small amounts of natural rennet from animals' stomachs (mainly if the milk has been pasteurised). Then the milk is left to ferment naturally in food-grade containers that are kept stationary and covered, but not hermetically sealed, for seven to ten days at a temperature of 15-20 °C. The excess fat and butter are removed from the surface of the curd. Ripening continues in these containers for approximately one month at a temperature of 10-15 °C, with no stirring of the curds for the entire duration of the acidification-ripening process. Finally the product is separated from the whey that is concentrated at the bottom of the containers, placed in food-grade casks and refrigerated at a temperature of under 4 °C. If the milk has not been pasteurised, Xygalo Siteias should remain refrigerated for at least two months before it is released for consumption so that checks can be carried out to ensure that the product is free from any undesirable micro-organisms.

The raw material used to prepare Xygalo Siteias is fresh milk from healthy sheep and goats that are reared in the traditional manner within the (former) District of Siteia, are entirely suited to the particular climate and flora of the region and stem exclusively from goat breeds indigenous to Greece and local sheep breeds (Siteia breed mainly, Psiloriti and Sfakia breeds and any cross-breeds thereof).

The milk should be the product of milking at least ten days after the animal has given birth, after which either the farmer transports the milk to the cheese dairy or it is refrigerated in milk chillers and collected frequently (usually under the cheese dairy's responsibility) in a suitable vehicle or refrigerated tank.