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Best Tirokafteri in Chicago

“Feta-based spread spiked with hot peppers, roasted peppers, garlic, and lemon—a mezze staple.”

Tirokafteri

What the real thing tastes like

Tirokafteri (Greek: τυροκαυτερή, pronounced [tirokafteˈri]), also known as ktipiti or htipiti (Greek: χτυπητή, pronounced [xtipiˈti]) or kopanisti (not to be confused with the cheese of that name), is a cheese-based spread from Greece. The preparation of the dish varies, but the most common ingredients are feta cheese (sometimes combined with one or more other types of soft, white cheeses), hot peppers (such as red cherry pepper), roasted peppers, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, yogurt, or oregano. It is commonly eaten as part of a mezze platter, or by itself, with slices of warm pita bread.

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Tirokafteri is a Greek cheese spread that lives in that perfect space between dip and condiment—creamy feta as its anchor, shot through with hot peppers and roasted ones, bound with olive oil and a whisper of lemon. The name itself tells you what's happening: *tirokafteri* means cheese-hot, and that heat (whether from fresh red cherry peppers or the dried kind) is the whole point. You'll find it on mezze platters across Greece, but it's just as honest spooned onto warm pita bread by itself.

Order it here when it has

  • versatile preparation
  • common mezze component
  • warm pita companion

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