Tyrokafteri (Τυροκαυτερή)

One dip, so many names!

Sometimes, I feel like this spicy feta dip. I don’t mean that I feel like eating it (which actually, I often do) but that I can actually empathize with it. Let me explain.

My siblings and I are all named after grandparents; my brother after our paternal grandfather (Nicholas), my sister after our paternal grandmother (Eleni (Helen)) and me after our maternal grandmother (Vasiliki).

When I was born, for some reason an older cousin looked into the baby bassinet and proclaimed, “Here she is…it’s Billy the Kid.”  Why a swaddled newborn with a mass of black curly hair reminded my cousin of an American Old West outlaw and gunfighter is anybody’s guess, but the nickname stuck. 

Years later, when registering for school, my mother brought the legal documents required and went to meet the principal.  He was a lovely, well-meaning man who took a look at my birth certificate and said, “Hmmm…Vasiliki is a pretty long and complex name (really…like, you just say it the way it’s spelled…but whatever), we should call her something else”.  My mother, trying to be accommodating, said “We can call her Billie. That’s what we call her at home”.  The principal however felt that this was a bad idea, citing the confusion and possible teasing that would be caused by a girl having a boy’s name.  Instead, he offered my mother an alternative; a different name that had been used by another Vasiliki that had been enrolled in his school a few years prior.  Not wanting to appear difficult,  and probably not realizing that she was setting me up for a lifetime of identity crisis, my mother agreed.  So here I am, one girl, 3 names. So yes, sometimes I feel like cheese, or more specifically, like this cheese dip.

Like me, this Greek spicy feta dip also goes by several names, which can cause some confusion.  I like to call it tyrokafteri (sometimes spelled tirokafteri), which literally translates into cheese-burning.  Others however call this dip kopanisti (κοπανιστή) or htipiti (χτυπητή) which mean whipped or beaten.  Although recipes vary, and versions of this classic Greek spread abound, one thing is certain; no matter what you call it, I am pretty certain you will love it.

Key ingredients

When I want to make a red tyrokateri (sometimes you can make it white) then I am sure to use red peppers for the colour, and flavour. The ingredients are pretty simple and the quantities you use of the chili flakes and the red chili pepper can be adjusted to your taste.

Feta I only use Greek feta, and this is especially important in a recipe like this one which has feta as the main ingredients. The cheese is made of sheep or a combination of sheep and goat milk and is far superior to the version made with cow’s milk (which technically cannot be called feta, which has PDO designation).

Olive oil I use Greek olive oil for its delicious floral flavour. When purchasing olive oil be sure to buy from a brand that you can trust. Cheaper versions are sometimes diluted with cheaper seed oils.

Red chili flakes Did you know that red chili flakes are made from peppers? Different peppers are used, depending on the brand and chili flakes add some heat to the tyrokafteri.

Roasted sweet red pepper Not spicy, but full of smoky flavour. Jarred roasted sweet red peppers give a nice colour to the dip but also add moisture and taste. I always have roasted sweet red pepper in the fridge – I find them to be a very versatile and delicious ingredient.

Red chili pepper Any hot red chili pepper will do. If you want to add the most heat possible, be sure to include the seeds and inside ribbing of the pepper. Otherwise, remove them and consider using rubber gloves so that you don’t accidentally touch your face and eyes, which can cause them to burn.

Red wine vinegar Tyrokafteri needs a bit of acidity to balance out the flavours. I like to use red wine vinegar because I like the taste, and it adds to the colour of the dip.