WHAT IS MANOURI?
Imagine if someone replaced the word “Philadelphia” on your cream cheese with “Athens” and you would have manouri. Also known as manoypi, it is a semi-soft, feta-like Greek cheese. Like French toast, this dairy delight allows you to use the leftovers from other recipes. Whey leftover from making other cheeses is used, with a touch of cream added. Similar to ricotta, manouri is often used in both sweet and savory Greek dishes. While a creamy cheese, manouri doesn’t have the saltiness or acidity of its dairy cousins. Depending on how much of a goat / sheep mix is used, this cheese can have a bit of a tang.
WHERE IS MANOURI MADE?
This cheese is made mostly in the North of Greece in Macedonia. However the D.O.C. status is exclusive to western and central Macedonia and Thessalia.
IS MANOURI THE BIBLICAL “CAIN” TO FETA’S “ABEL”?
TheSpruce.com wrote that “Manouri is the Greek cheese that lives in feta’s shadow”. While beautifully written, I don’t agree. I’ve never seen feta used in a good cheesecake recipe. It is true that feta casts a much larger shadow in terms of fame. But manouri’s flexibility allows a gourmet to use it more often in a variety of dishes.
WHAT CAN I PAIR WITH MANOURI?
It is popular in baking and pastry recipes. Usually manouri is served with a side of honey. But I don’t recommend this as a cheese plate item. Regarding wine, pair to the strongest flavors in the recipe being used versus to the cheese itself.