60 culturecheesemag.com T R AV E L 202 2
A
sk Greeks about
their country's
cheesemaking
history and they
might refer you to
Homer's Odyssey, in
which the mention of
cheese involves a shepherd, a Cyclops
cheesemaker, and a cave with curd
made from sheep's and goat's milk.
Ask Naxians the same question about
their island and they might mention a
legend which claims that Apollo left
his son Aristaeus, the god of shepherds,
beekeeping, and cheesemaking, on
Naxos to teach the islanders the art of cheesemaking. But go closer to the
source and speak to a Naxian cheesemaker and they'll recount how their
great-grandfather started the family's business with just a few animals,
and how today they're continuing it by making one of the island's most
celebrated cheeses.
The largest island in the Cyclades archipelago, Naxos is located about a
four-hour ferry ride or a one-hour flight from Athens. While its glitzy cousins
Santorini and Mykonos are famous for their sweeping vistas, dramatic
sunsets, and exciting nightlife, Naxos has a reputation for self-sufficiency;
With a long history of living from the land, the island could sustain itself
without any imports. Today agriculture provides about 60 percent of the
island's income and employs more than half of its inhabitants. Of those,
more than one-third are involved in animal husbandry, taking care of the
island's approximately 7,000 cows and shepherding close to 150,000 free-
roaming goats and sheep.
Many of the shepherds and their flocks are concentrated around the
traditional villages established in the ninth century by migrants from
Marina Katsani, left,
and Stefanos Liofagos,
owners of the Maeras
cheese dairy
