Saganaki, The Greek Fried Cheese You Have To Stop Sleeping On

Strictly speaking, does not need to include cheese. According to Britannica, is any dish made in a small, double-handled pan (‘sahan’ is the Turkish word for a copper dish). Seafood versions incorporating shrimp and mussels are quite popular in their own right, but the best-known version features fried cheese. This type of starts with a block of flour-coated, pan-fried cheese that forms a crispy brown crust. It’s typically served with pita bread, although Food &  notes that some Greek restaurants top it with honey and nuts.

Saganaki can be made from many different kinds of cheese, though they tend to be sturdy blocks in the vein of halloumi. Britannica lists , , and as popular choices. While these cheeses aren’t well-known in the U.S., they should be. MasterClass describes as salty and tangy with a short aging period of just a few months.  is usually aged a bit longer and, per Cheese Atlas, has a relatively firm texture. It also has tiny holes — similar to Swiss cheese – throughout. is a bit of an outlier because, according to Cheese.com, it has a meltier texture akin to provolone or mozzarella. All three kinds of cheese are made from sheep’s milk, sometimes mixed with goat milk.

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