Cheese-Feta

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. It is now made in many countries, but usually the pasteurized cow's milk version, on a commercial scale. Goat's milk cheeses taste better than cow because of their higher fat content. Sheep's milk cheese should taste even better because it has 9gms of fat to goat's six, to the cow's less than four. Pasteurization kills the taste equally well for cow, goat and sheep so the customer has no way to judge. Raw goat's milk feta is delicious crumbled over salads (the Classic Greek Salad), or together with sliced tomatoes, sprinkled with olive oil and fresh herbs. It's firmer texture makes for a great addition to stir-fry, omelet's or eating it straight out of the container.

Salted and cured in a brine solution (which can be either water or whey) for a week to several months (this is why it is sometimes called a 'pickled' cheese). Feta dries out rapidly when removed from the brine.

Feta is a classic and famous Greek curd cheese whose tradition dates back thousands of years and is still made by shepherds in the Greek mountains with unpasteurized milk. It was originally made with goat's or sheep's milk, but today much is often made commercially with pasteurized cow's milk (the firmer cow's milk version is made for export). The curdled milk (curdled with rennet) is separated and allowed to drain in a special mold or a cloth bag. It is cut into large slices (feta means 'slice') that are salted and then packed in barrels filled with whey or brine.

Feta is a classic and famous Greek curd cheese whose tradition dates back thousands of years