Feta

Feta
Country of origin	Greece
Region, town	N/A
Source of milk	Sheep (≥70%) and goat per PDO; similar cheeses may contain cow or buffalo milk
Pasteurised	Depends on variety
Texture	Depends on variety
Aging time	min. 3 months
Certification	PDO, 2002

Feta (Turkish: Beyaz Peynir 'white cheese') (Greek: φέτα, also spelled fetta) is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece with goat's and sheep milk. Since 2005, feta has been a protected designation of origin in the European Union, and defined as having at least 70% sheep's milk, with the remainder being goat’s milk. Outside the EU, cheeses sold as 'feta' may include cow's milk, or even be comprised of exclusively cow's milk.

Feta is an aged cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads, pastries and in baking, notably in the popular phyllo-based dishes spanakopita ("spinach pie") and tyropita ("cheese pie").

Similar white brined cheeses (often called 'white cheese' in the various languages) are found in the eastern Mediterranean and around the Black Sea.

Feta is salted and cured in a brine solution (based on 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. The cured cheese easily crumbles. Its fat content can range from 30 to 60 percent; most is around 45 percent milk fat. Most feta cheese has a pH of 4.4 to 4.9.^[1]

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.

History

Feta cheese is first recorded in the Byzantine Empire (which expanded over the East Mediterranean), under the name πρόσφατος (prósphatos, "recent", i.e. fresh), and was associated specifically with Crete. An Italian visitor to Candia in 1494 describes its storage in brine clearly.^[2]

The Greek word "feta" comes from the Italian word fetta ("slice") and that from Latin offa "bite, morsel".^[3] It was introduced in Greek in 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 has been used in more recent times. It is also used for banitsa.

Certification

Greek salad. Feta cheese, a traditional ingredient, is usually sliced in small cubes.

After a long legal battle with Denmark,^[4] which produced a cheese under the same name using artificially blanched cow's milk, the term "feta" is since July 2002 a protected designation of origin (PDO), which limits the term within the European Union to feta made exclusively of sheep's/goat's milk in Greece.^{[5] [6]} According to the Commission, the biodiversity of the land coupled with the special breeds of sheep and goats used for milk is what gives feta cheese a specific aroma and flavor.

When needed to describe an imitation to feta, names such as "salad cheese" and "Greek-style cheese" are used. The European Commission gave other nations five years to find a new name for their "feta" cheese, or to stop production.^[7] Because of the decision by the European Union, Denmark changed the name of their product to apetina.^[8]

Similar cheeses around the world

Similar cheeses are common in Albania (djath), Bulgaria (sirene сирене), Republic of Macedonia (бело сирење, belo sirenje; 'white cheese'), Serbia (sir сир), Israel (gvina bulgarit Bulgarian cheese), Turkey (beyaz peynir 'white cheese'), Egypt (domiati), and Sudan (gibna beyda), Romania (brânză telemea), Russia (brynza, брынза), Ukraine (brynza, бринза), Iran (panir liqvan), Malta (Ġbejna tan- nagħaġ 'sheep's cheese' ) , and other countries. In some of these countries, the name "feta" is used interchangeably with the native, while in others "feta" is not used at all or refers to other (mainly imported) types of cheese.

See also

• List of cheeses
• Greek cuisine
• Greek food products

Bibliography

• Dalby, Andrew (1997). Siren feasts: a history of food and gastronomy in Greece. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-11620-1. OCLC 150826555. 

References

External links

• Feta registered as Protected Designation of Origin
• Fetamania - Feta's history, production and conservation methods, and recipes