Manouri

Manouri is a whey cheese in the same family as mizithra and anari, but sheep or goat cream is added before it sets, which pushes its fat content much higher and gives it a dense, silky texture closer to a young soft cheese than to a crumbly curd. It has held Protected Designation of Origin status since the 1990s, tied to central and western Macedonia and Thessaly.

It is sold in log-shaped rolls rather than blocks, and its low salt and high fat let it take direct heat well. Thick rounds cut from the log, grilled or seared in a dry pan until they colour, then served with honey and walnuts, are manouri me meli, one of the simplest things in the whole repertoire and one of the few dishes that treats a cheese as a dessert.

It also goes into sweet and savoury pies and into Greek versions of cheesecake, where its richness lets it stand in for cream cheese without the tang. Mizithra and anari are its closest relations but are leaner and drier, so a straight swap gives a thinner result. Buy it in a piece rather than pre-sliced, since the cut surface dries out quickly.