Draft:Xygalo Siteias

Soft, ointment cheese, produced from goat's milk, from a mixture with sheep, but also with only sheep's milk. The proportions depend on the season and the availability of each type of milk. However, in order to keep the fat content of the finished product low, sheep's milk, especially when it participates in a high proportion, is partially debutwatered.

Soft, ointment cheese, produced from goat's milk, from a mixture with sheep, but also with only sheep's milk. The proportions depend on the season and the availability of each type of milk. However, in order to keep the fat content of the finished product low, sheep's milk, especially when it participates in a high proportion, is partially debutwatered.

Xygalo Siteias is one of the youngest members of the "Club" of PDO cheeses and the first one from the Greek side that was recognized, In 2011, Xygalo Siteias was officially recognized as a [[List of Greek Protected Designations of Origin cheeses|PDO product]], following from the outset the strict registration process established by the [[European Union]].

Xygalo Siteias is one of the youngest members of the "Club" of PDO cheeses and the first one from the Greek side that was recognized, In 2011, Xygalo Siteias was officially recognized as a [[List of Greek Protected Designations of Origin cheeses|PDO product]], following from the outset the strict registration process established by the [[European Union]].

However, both the name (an adaptation of the [[Ancient Greek|ancient Greek]] word "''oxygala''" in the local dialect of [[Sitia]]) and the traditional method of production point to a much older origin, with references dating back to the [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] and [[Roman Empire|Roman periods]]. It remained an artisanal product for centuries. As an [[industrial|industrial product]], it was first marketed at the beginning of the 1990s. Ever since, it has been largely accepted by the broader consumers’ population of Crete (especially in eastern Crete) and Greece (especially in Athens and Thessaloniki). [[Greek cuisine|Gastronomy]] initiatives which certify [[Greek restaurant|restaurants]] offering dishes in-line with the Cretan diet, recommend Xygalo as an excellent “''hors d’oeuvre''”, by the name “''Xygalo Steiako''”<ref name="Cheese lovers">{{Cite web|url=https://cheeselovers.gr/tyria-tou-kosmou/416-%CE%BE%CF%8D%CE%B3%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BF-%CE%AE-%CE%BE%CE%AF%CE%B3%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BF-%CF%83%CE%B7%CF%84%CE%B5%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82-%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%80/|title=Τυριά του Κόσμου|website=Cheese Lovers}}</ref> <ref name="encyclopedia pub">https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/18409?utm_source</ref>

However, both the name (an adaptation of the [[Ancient Greek|ancient Greek]] word "''oxygala''" in the local dialect of [[Sitia]]) and the traditional method of production point to a much older origin, with references dating back to the [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] and [[Roman Empire|Roman periods]]. It remained an artisanal product for centuries. As an [[industrial|industrial product]], it was first marketed at the beginning of the 1990s. Ever since, it has been largely accepted by the broader consumers’ population of Crete (especially in eastern Crete) and Greece (especially in Athens and Thessaloniki). [[Greek cuisine|Gastronomy]] initiatives which certify [[Greek restaurant|restaurants]] offering dishes in-line with the Cretan diet, recommend Xygalo as an excellent “''hors d’oeuvre''”, by the name “''Xygalo Steiako''”<ref name="Cheese lovers">{{Cite web|url=https://cheeselovers.gr/tyria-tou-kosmou/416-%CE%BE%CF%8D%CE%B3%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BF-%CE%AE-%CE%BE%CE%AF%CE%B3%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BF-%CF%83%CE%B7%CF%84%CE%B5%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82-%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%80/|title=Τυριά του Κόσμου|website=Cheese Lovers}}</ref> <ref name="encyclopedia pub">{{Cite web|url=https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/18409?utm_source|title=Xygalo Siteias|website=Encyclopedia pub|date=January 19, 2022}}</ref>

Similar in texture (''but milder in taste'') to the other two spreadable PDO cheeses of Crete, [[Xynomizithra]] and [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pichtogalo_Chanion Pichtogalo Chanion], and with the corresponding ones of the rest of [[Greece]], differs from them in the preparation technique and characteristics. Initially, it was produced during the summer, when goat and sheep's milk were scarce, so they were not enough to create hard cheeses, while temperatures favored the natural acidification of the curd. Housewives or traditional cheesemakers used special clay pots (In [[Greek language|Greek]] ''κουρούπια''), which helped remove the serum, without breaking the gel.

Similar in texture (''but milder in taste'') to the other two spreadable PDO cheeses of Crete, [[Xynomizithra]] and [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pichtogalo_Chanion Pichtogalo Chanion], and with the corresponding ones of the rest of [[Greece]], differs from them in the preparation technique and characteristics. Initially, it was produced during the summer, when goat and sheep's milk were scarce, so they were not enough to create hard cheeses, while temperatures favored the natural acidification of the curd. Housewives or traditional cheesemakers used special clay pots (In [[Greek language|Greek]] ''κουρούπια''), which helped remove the serum, without breaking the gel.