Feta

Feta is sheep cheese in brine from Greece.  We all know that.  We also all know our favorite dish that really works because of the feta cheese that is in it.  Feta has become ubiquitous in our modern American food culture and, short attention spans and all, we think it has always been here.  While it is one of the oldest cheeses on earth, feta has actually only accrued worldwide popularity in the last thirty years.  It now accounts for 70% of all Greek cheese sales.

Feta means "slice" in Greek.  In 2002 the European Community protected the feta name legally, assuring that the cheese would be made from 70%+ sheep's milk and up to 30% goat's milk, all of which is sourced from animals grazing in pastures within a half dozen communes in Greece.  Outside of those EU limitations, knockoffs may be called Greek-style cheese, salad cheese, or most commonly, white cheese.  Some of these alternatives are made from cow's milk.  In America our domestic feta comes in several styles with no apparent regard for EU proprietary edicts.

Feta is a brined curd cheese which means the curds, scooped up and pressed into molds, are then immersed into a brine which is 7% salt by volume.  All Greek communes producing the cheese display individual styles range from soft and mild to harder, crumblier, and stronger. Along with being salty feta is tangy and mildly sour.   Feta must have a maximum moisture of 56% and a minimum fat content of 43%.  The cheese is aged for two to three months before going to market.  Feta should always be purchased and stored in the brine.  It should be consumed within three months of purchasing and it should never be frozen.

For the health conscious, feta offers protein, riboflavin, vitamin B12, calcium, and phosphorus.  On the downside, it's high in cholesterol, saturated fat, and, of course, sodium.  Washing the cheese in water or milk can reduce the sodium level.  Because feta is not always pasteurized it is on a list of foods pregnant women should not consume.

So we all know the feta dish that we love the most.  Like all cheeses Feta benefits from being offered at room temperature so one simple way to serve it is with olive oil and aromatic herbs.  Feta may also be grilled.  Feta was originally a goat cheese and may be substituted in goat cheese recipes. At olivetomato.com, a July 2, 2012 posting by Greek-Americans offers many other options for the cheese.  The most popular feta cheese dish is Spanakopita, a spinach pastry appetiser.  The following Spanakopita recipe comes from delish.com.

Set oven to 400 degrees.  Makes thirty servings.

30 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
8oz crumbled feta
2 large eggs for the spinach mixture     
1 large egg to brush over the dough
2 green onions chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 sheets of puff pastry dough

1.  Combine spinach, feta, eggs, green onions, salt and pepper.
2.  Roll each puff pastry sheet into a 15"x10" rectangle; place one in the pan.  Top with spinach mixture, leaving border.
3.  Top with second sheet; press to seal.  Brush with one beaten egg.  Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool.  Cut into three inch squares, then triangles.

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