It is a soft textured, stringy rather than crumbly, chewy, hard-rind cheese and belongs to the pasta filata family of cheeses, like Provolone or Mozzarella. The use of fresh unpasteurized milk is necessary to obtain the correct flavor and texture, and aging of at least four months is required for the development of flavor. Aged Kasseri faintly resembles Parmesan or Asiago but is not as creamy.

The only original Feta is greek, produced in a defined area with sheep's milk or sheep's milk and goat and mature plants located in the same area for a few months remaining in the brine.
The term 'feta' is derived from the greek fetas, in reference to the method of preservation of the cheese, sliced ickled.

Manouri’s light aroma is slightly sour, similar to that of fresh yogurt, but it lacks yogurt’s (or feta’s) acidity. Instead, it has a clean, subtle nutty flavor with a bit of sheepiness and the barest hint of tang. What really elevates the cheese, though, is its texture.

A very hard cheese, Kefalotyri can be consumed as is, fried in olive oil for a dish called Saganaki, or added to foods such as pasta dishes, meat, or cooked vegetables, and is especially suited for grating. It is also used along with feta cheese in the vast majority of recipes for Spanakopita, where many recipes say to substitute romano or parmesan, if kefalotyri cannot be obtained.

Halloumi or hellim is a Cypriot semi-hard, unripened, brined cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled