The best cheese dish is considered to be Raclette – a Swiss dish of melted cheese that is served with boiled potatoes, pickles and cured meat products.
2nd place on the list was Tirokafteri, which was described on the website of Taste Atlas, who created the list explains Saganaki cheese as a highly popular Greek appetizer where various vegetables, meats, or seafood such as shrimp or mussels are wrapped in cheese, then pan-fried or seared. The cheese can also be prepared on its own, without any accompaniments.
It is then pan-seared until it develops its distinctive golden crust, and served in the so-called sagani, a small, two-handled pan in which it was fried. In the past, the word saganaki referred to a method of spicing up the local cheese by Greek peasants, who would pan-fry different varieties of cheese such as feta, kashkaval or manori. While regional variations of the dish include the use of formaela cheese in Arachova and halloumi in Cyprus, the cheese used in a typical Greek saganaki is usually graviera, kefalograviera, kasseri, kefalotyri, sheep's milk feta or any other firm cheese that melts well without losing its shape. Saganaki is sometimes enlivened by a splash of traditional Greek spirits like Metaxa brandy or Ouzo, an anise-flavored aperitif.
Outside of Greece, particularly in the US, saganaki is typically flambéed at the table, and this flaming culinary showmanship is a tradition which reportedly first started in Chicago's Greektown. When the lighter comes out to ignite the pan, one can often hear "Opa!", the Greek expression for joy. After cheering, the diners usually cut off chunks of cheese that are crispy on the outside and soft and runny on the inside, and then sprinkle their saganaki with lemon juice, savoring it with some freshly baked pita bread.
This creamy Greek dipping sauce is usually prepared with a combination of feta cheese, milk or yogurt, hot peppers, olive oil, and vinegar. Although it is a traditional dish, it is regionally influenced and may contain anything from roasted red peppers to other types of cheese.
Tirokafteri is a standard Greek appetizer and a typical meze dish that is usually accompanied by warm pita bread.
Tirokroketes which came in at number 49 is a traditional Greek dish consisting of fried cheese balls that have a golden crust on the exterior, while the interior has a melting, oozing texture. This popular meze can be found in almost every Greek tavern. Tirokroketes are actually modern versions of classic spiced meat balls that originated in Ancient Greece and gained popularity throughout Middle East and Balkan countries.
The fried balls are usually made with a combination of eggs, breadcrumbs, and three types of cheese – feta, graviera, and gouda. When frying them, it's important not to overcrowd the pan and to place just a few cheese balls at a time into the hot oil.
Tirokroketes are served as an appetizer, ideally drizzled with lemon juice while still hot.
This post was last modified on April 7, 2023 9:49 am