Feta

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Feta
Country of origin	Greece
Region, town	N/A
Source of milk	Goat, sheep or cow
Pasteurised	Depends on variety
Texture	Depends on variety
Aging time	min. 3 months
Certification	PDO, 2002

For other meanings of feta or FETA see FETA (disambiguation)

Feta (Greek: φέτα) is a curd cheese in brine. It is traditionally made from goat's and/or sheep's milk, but cow's milk varieties are also made in some areas. It is commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads and in baking. It is used in the popular Greek phyllo-based dishes spanakopita 'spinach pie' and tyropita 'cheese pie'. It is popular cheese in Greece and world-wide. Similar cheeses are found in the surrounding countries.

Feta is salted and cured in a brine solution (which can be either water or whey) for several months. Feta dries out rapidly when removed from the brine. Feta cheese is white, usually formed into square cakes, and can range from soft to semi-hard, with a tangy, salty flavor that can range from mild to sharp. Its fat content can range from 30 to 60 percent; most is around 45 percent milk fat.

Traditional Greek feta cheese is made from sheep's milk, or a mixture of sheep and goats' milk. The cheese is made in blocks which are salted, sliced and then salted again, before being left for about a month to mature.

Feta is also an important ingredient of Greek salad. Feta, like most cheeses, can also be served cooked; it is sometimes grilled as part of a sandwich or as a salty alternative to other cheeses in a variety of dishes.

[edit] History

Feta cheese is first recorded in Byzantine times, under the name πρόσφατος (prósphatos), and was associated specifically with Crete. An Italian visitor to Candia in 1494 describes its storage in brine clearly.^[1]

The name feta comes from the Italian word fetta 'slice',^[2] and dates back to the 17th century, likely referring to the method of cutting the cheese in thin slices to serve on a plate.

Traditionally, feta has been made by peasants in the lower Balkan peninsula from sheep's milk, although goat's milk, and (to the dismay of some) cow's milk has been used in more recent times.

[edit] Certification

Greek salad. Feta cheese, a traditional ingredient, is usually sliced in small cubic-shaped pieces.

After a long legal battle with Denmark,^[3] which produced a similar cheese under the same name, but used artificially blanched cow's milk, the term "feta" is now a protected designation of origin (PDO), which limits the term "feta" within the European Union to Greek feta.^{[4] [5]}

[edit] Similar cheeses around the world

Similar cheeses are common in Albania (djath), Bulgaria (sirene сирене), FYROM, Serbia (sir сир), Israel, Turkey (beyaz peynir 'white cheese'), Romania (brânză telemea), Russia (brynza, брынза), Ukraine (brynza, бринза), Iran (panir bulqäri), and other countries. In many of these countries, the name Feta is used interchangably with the native.

[edit] See also

• List of cheeses
• Cuisine of Greece
• Greek food products
• Sirene

[edit] Bibliography

• Andrew Dalby, Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece, Routledge, 1996. ISBN 0-415-11620-1.

[edit] References