What Is Feta Cheese?

Feta cheese is a brined curd cheese of Greek origin. Famous for use as a sprinkled food over salads, feta is one of the oldest cheeses in the world.

Origins

No one knows when exactly feta cheese was first made. However, it was first mentioned during the time of the Byzantine Empire (285 to 1453). Back then, it was known as prosphatos, meaning "recent" to denote its freshness.

Manufacture

Feta cheese is usually made of curdled goat or cow milk. The product of the curdling is cut into large slices ("feta" means slice), and then salted and packed into barrels of brine for several weeks or months.

Characteristics

Feta has a white appearance. It varies in texture, from soft to semi-hard. The cheese's taste, varying from mild to sharp, is distinctively tangy and salty. It is usually sold in square form, although crumbled versions are sold in plastic containers.

Use

Feta is perhaps best known for being sprinkled over salads, such as the classic Greek salad. It is also used for puff pastry called feuilletes.

Certification

In 2002, feta cheese made of sheep and goat milk in Greece was declared a protected designation of origin (PDO) food product. This was the European Union's attempt to quell Greece's legal battle with Denmark---a country that sold cheese under the feta name---as well as to recognize the country of feta cheese origin with the knowledge that other countries in Europe were making the food item.

References

• Feta Cheese
• About Feta Cheese
• Siren feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece; Andrew Dalby