What Greek cheese is a fresh whey cheese often used in pies?

Mizithra is a fresh Greek whey cheese often used in pies.

It is traditionally made from sheep’s or goats’ milk, or a mixture of both, and is produced from whey left over after making other cheeses. Fresh mizithra is soft, white, mild, and slightly tangy. It is especially associated with cheesemaking regions of Greece, including Crete.

In Greek cooking, fresh mizithra can be eaten as a table cheese or used in pastries, pies, and desserts. A related cheese, xynomizithra, is sourer because it undergoes fermentation. Mizithra can also be dried and aged into a harder, saltier grating cheese.

A common mix-up is manouri, another Greek whey cheese. Manouri is generally creamier and milder, while mizithra is more directly associated with fresh or dried whey-cheese traditions. The spelling “myzithra” is also used, but it refers to the same cheese.