Dia Tyros kai Voutyrou
Small cheese and butter shop on Kentrikis street in central Veria, the capital of Imathia, listed on its Facebook page as a specialty grocery.
About Batzos
A rindless brined cheese from sheep or goat milk, or both, raw or pasteurised, ripened for at least three months in a brine of 10 to 12 percent salt. It is a low-fat cheese, white to pale yellow, with many irregular small holes. Greek ministerial decision 313057 of 17 January 1994 recognised the PDO and the EU registered it in June 1996. Greek Wikipedia traces it to the Voio area of Western Macedonia. Imathia is named in the production area, and the MEDEAT gastronomy site gives Imathia as the origin of its batzos recipe.
Made in: Thessaloniki, Chalkidiki, Kilkis, Imathia, Pieria, Pella, Florina, Kozani, Kastoria and Grevena in Western and Central Macedonia, and Larissa, Trikala, Karditsa and Magnesia in Thessaly
On the plate
Sourish, very salty and slightly spicy, with a low fat content (Qualigeo gives 19 to 20 percent). MEDEAT describes it fried as saganaki or grilled, and says a smoked version, sold without the PDO name, goes very well with red wines.
Rind: none, eaten fresh
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Batzos
Full-bodied Naoussa PDO Xinomavro with firm tannin Naoussa
Our pickQualigeo calls batzos perfect with red wines from its production area, which includes Imathia, and MEDEAT says the smoked version goes very well with reds. Its sourish, salty paste meets the high acidity and firm to high tannin of these Naoussa reds.
The grapes behind these winesXinomavro
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Cheese experiences nearby
Modiano Market
Thessaloniki's covered central market, in the gateway city rather than the wine region, reopened in September 2026 with 32 shops, among them a cheese and charcuterie counter and a small dairy making cheese.
VAENI winery tour with optional tasting and cheese
Cooperative winery tour of vineyard, winery, bottling line and cellar at Episkopi, with an optional paid tasting of three wines served with crackers and kefalograviera. Visits by arrangement.
Batzos: questions
Is Batzos from Imathia?
Imathia is named in the PDO production area on Qualigeo, and the MEDEAT gastronomy site gives Imathia as the origin of its batzos recipe and says it is sold in the traditional grocers and delicatessens of Imathia.
How is Batzos eaten?
MEDEAT describes it fried as saganaki or grilled, and says a smoked version, sold without the PDO name, goes very well with red wines.
How long does Batzos mature?
At least three months in brine; Qualigeo says about three months in a cool place, and MEDEAT says at least three months in brine in metal containers.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Naoussa
Plan the trip
Visit Batzos country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, www.qualigeo.eu, en.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.