It Must Be Fate: FETA Cheese and the Greek Atmosphere

Not only is Feta cheese an incredible treat in Greek cooking - it's a wonderful accent to several dishes here in the U.S. (like a scrumptious breakfast omelet!)

Feta Cheese is also a product that has been around since the Byzantine Empire - so there is a lot of history behind this cheese we all love. When a visitor entered the Byzantine-controlled region in 1494, he might have noticed that they sliced their cheese to serve on a plate. Even back then, before the individually-wrapped sorts from which we actually get the saying, Feta was quickly becoming the thing that would, to the Greeks - be "the best thing since sliced cheese"!

Feta is aged cheese and is produced in blocks for uses on Greek salads, pastries, breakfast Greek entrées and many other dishes and a real normal part of the Greek culture. It is often times combined with olive oil and vegetables to bring a rich and delicate flavor to the dish. Feta is used in 60% of Greek families in their everyday life and everyday food and a great mixture with homemade wine. (Would you like a little cheese with that wine?) OPA!

What separates feta cheese from the rest is that it is made of milk from sheep around the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. Feta is a great accent to Greek dishes because of the delicious pairings with olive oil, olives as well as the enrichment it can bring to Greek dishes!

Feta - A Festival for the Mouth

There is nothing like the first bite of a piece of tangy, salty feta cheese to make your whole mouth come alive. Made from the milk of sheep or goat, Feta could be considered the national cheese of Greece if there was one. It's certainly a staple of Ziziki's award winning Greek cuisine.

If you love the taste then you’ll love it’s versatility – feta is not only used as a table cheese, it’s excellent in salads (Greek salad), pastries, baking (notably in the popular phyllo-based dishes spanakopita ("spinach pie") and tyropita ("cheese pie") and combined with olive oil and vegetables. It can also be served cooked or grilled, as part of a sandwich or as a salty alternative to other cheeses in a variety of dishes.

The Greek word "feta" comes from the Italian word fetta ("slice"). It was introduced into the Greek language in the 17th century. Although similar white brined cheeses called “feta” are found in the eastern Mediterranean and around the Black Sea, they are often made partly or wholly of cow's milk. Since 2002, feta has been a protected designation of origin product. According to the relevant EU legislation, only those cheeses produced in a traditional way in some areas of Greece (mainland and the island of Lesvos), and made from sheep's milk, or from a mixture of sheep's and goats’ milk (up to 30%) of the same area, may bear the name "feta".

Go Greece!