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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Greece, Central and Western Macedonia and Thessaly

Manouri PDOΜανούρι

Manouri is a boundary entry, a whey cheese set by heat, not by microbes or rennet. Sheep or goat whey, enriched with cream, is heated to 88–90 °C with up to a quarter more milk or cream and 1 % salt. The curd that floats up is drained in cloth bags for 4–5 hours and kept at 4–5 °C until sold. Made in 6 steps over 4 months. The longest step, keep cold until sale, takes 4 months (Govari M 2023) and runs at 4–5 °C (Greek Ministry of Agriculture). Salt is 1 % (Greek Ministry of Agriculture).

Key numbers
Main step4 monthsMeasured[govari2023]Keep cold until sale
Temperature4–5 °CSet[manouri-eu-1994]Keep cold until sale
Salt1 %Set[manouri-eu-1994]Add milk or cream and salt on the way up
Fully documentedCheese4 monthsPDO (EU, 1996; Greek Ministerial Decision 313028/11.1.94)Family: Whey cheese (heat-precipitated whey protein) familyMore whey cheesesMore from Greece

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceProportions as the PDO summary gives them, as shares of the whey mixture.
Whey from sheep or goat milk, or a mixture[manouri-eu-1994]
Sheep or goat cream · Added to bring the whey to at least 2.5 % fat[manouri-eu-1994]
Up to 25 %Sheep or goat milk or cream · Added at 70–75 °C[manouri-eu-1994]
1 %Salt (sodium chloride) · Added at 70–75 °C[manouri-eu-1994]
Starternone; the curd forms by heat

Total time across the recorded steps: 4 months

Start
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What changes: Sheep or goat cream goes into the whey until it holds at least 2.5 % fat

Step 1 of 6
Enrich the whey with cream
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

The whey is left over from making sheep or goat cheeses. Output: enriched whey.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Manouri is a heat-set whey cheese, like Myzithra and Anthotyros. Its rules add cream. The whey must reach at least 2.5 % fat before heating, and up to a quarter more milk or cream goes in on the way to 88–90 °C, which makes a rich, fresh cheese.

Milk
Whey of sheep or goat milk, enriched with sheep or goat cream and milk
Ripening
Fresh; kept at 4–5 °C
Fat in the whey mix
At least 2.5 % before heating

Related ferments

Safety

Manouri has no fermentation step and does not rely on acid to keep. The rules require cold storage at 4–5 °C until sale, and bacteria still grow slowly in the cold.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The PDO registration of 1994 says manouri has been made in the area at least since the 19th century, from the whey of local sheep and goat breeds fed on local pasture.

  1. [manouri-eu-1994] Greek Ministry of Agriculture, Application for registration of the PDO Manouri (summary of Ministerial Decision 313028/11.1.94), eAmbrosia attachment 72481 (EN); Greek original 63836spec
  2. [govari2023] Govari M., Vareltzis P. 2023, Effect of argon-based modified atmosphere packaging storage on Manouri cheese, International Dairy Journal (abstract, Europe PMC record)paper