Feta

What is Feta Cheese?

Cheese from sheep and goat milk has been made in the Eastern Mediterranean since ancient times. In Greece, the earliest documented reference to cheese production goes back to the 8th century BC, and the method used then resembles what Greek shepherds still use for feta. Psellos recorded the cheese in the 11th century under the name prosphatos, made by Cretans. In the late 15th century an Italian visitor to Candia, Pietro Casola, described both its sale and its storage in brine. The word feta comes from the Italian fetta, meaning slice, and only became the common name in the 19th century, probably because the cheese was cut to pack it into barrels.

Under EU rules and similar laws in 25 other countries, feta must be made in the traditional way in mainland Greece and Lesbos Prefecture, from sheep milk or sheep milk with up to 30% goat milk from the same area. The protected designation of origin was granted in 2002 after a long legal fight with Denmark, France and Germany, and the Court of Justice of the European Union upheld it in 2005. Danish producer Arla Foods renamed its white cheese Apetina. Yorkshire Feta became Fine Fettle Yorkshire. In the United States, Australia and New Zealand the name is still used generically, and most American feta comes from cow milk.

Milk may be raw or pasteurized, though most producers now pasteurize and add a starter culture to restore the organisms that build acidity and flavor. Rennet goes in at about 35 °C (95 °F). The curds are cut, drained in a mould or cloth bag, then cut again and dry-salted to roughly 3% salinity before resting in metal vessels or wooden barrels for several days. Aging follows in a 7% brine, several weeks at room temperature and at least two more months refrigerated at high humidity. Barrel aging is said to give a distinct flavor.

The cheese is white and soft with small holes or none at all, no skin, and a crumbly, slightly grainy body formed into large blocks. Good feta feels creamy in the mouth and smells of ewe's milk, butter and yoghurt. The taste is tangy, a little salty, mildly sour, with a peppery ginger finish and a hint of sweetness. Firm feta is tangier and fetches more; the soft kind is nearly spreadable and cheaper. Slicing leaves trimma, the crumble that goes into pies and is usually given away free.

Feta turns up in Greek salad, in filo pastries like spanakopita and tyropita, in omelettes and sandwiches, and often grilled. It is served with olive oil or olives and sprinkled with oregano. It carries good amounts of calcium and phosphorus, holds more water and less fat than parmigiano-reggiano or cheddar, and may contain probiotics. Salt is the catch, at over 400 mg of sodium per 100 calories. It dries out fast even in the fridge, so keep it in brine or lightly salted milk past a week.