Feta is a traditional Greek cheese. It is a brined, crumbly, curd cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. After it has aged (two weeks to a month, if we're patient) in its brine, we usually crumble it onto salads or into scrambled eggs. Sometimes we put it on pizza, or in/on other dishes. Others use it as a table cheese, in pastries, and in baking--spanakopita ("spinach pie") and tyropita ("cheese pie").
The first record of what is probably feta cheese, is from the Byzantine Empire. It was called "fresh" or "recent" cheese (prósphatos), and was described as brined and was associated with Crete. (Andrew Dalby, Siren feasts: A history of food and gastronomy in Greece, Routledge, 1996)
The current name "feta" comes from the Italian word fetta ("slice"), which was introduced into the Greek language in the 1600's.
Whatever it is called in other places, the Greeks claim feta as their own. They also lay claim to being the first cheese makers. Polyphemus, son of Poseidon and one of the Cyclopes, is said to be the first cheese-maker. Homer describes Polyphemus' bowls and baskets full of cheeses in the Odyssey.
Traditionally, feta is made from sheep's or
goat's milk or a mixture of the two. Today it is also commercially made
with cow's milk. We, of course, use goat's milk. Here is a link to the
basic recipe most like the one we use:http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/feta.html
We also make ricotta from the whey. This will go into the lasagna planned for dinner next week.
As soon as we set up our cheese cave, we'll try making some Colby or other aged cheeses. What's a cheese cave, you ask? And how do you make one? There is no digging or spelunking involved! We'll have a description and some pictures when we get the cave going.
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