pétroma

Unsalted white cow’s milk cheese made on Ándros and Tínos, similar to a creamy ricotta (although pétroma means ‘rock’); it’s used to make the sweet tsimbites pastries.

Left over bits are shaped into a ball, salted and left to sit for 45 days, to make dense tange cheese simply known as a little ball, baláki or μπαλάκι.