All About Cheese: Feta Facts - Vince's Market - With 4 Locations to Serve You! (2024)

FAQs

All About Cheese: Feta Facts - Vince's Market - With 4 Locations to Serve You!? ›

The word feta is derived for an ancient Greek word meaning slice. Feta cheese can be made from sheep's milk or a combination of sheep and goat milks. Most cheese lovers say the best comes from sheep's milk. But keep in mind, true Feta cheese will contain, at most, 30% goat's milk.

feta, fresh, white, soft or semisoft cheese of Greece, originally made exclusively from goat's or sheep's milk but in modern times containing cow's milk. Feta is not cooked or pressed but is cured briefly in a brine solution that adds a salty flavour to the sharp tang of goat's or sheep's milk.

It's cured and stored in brine (a solution of salt dissolved in water), but once opened, it can dry out or spoil quickly. To make it last longer, here's how to make your own brine. Dissolve 2 tsp. salt in 1 cup water in an airtight container, then submerge the cheese in the water.

Sheep's milk fetas (the classic option) tend to be sharpest, while goat's and cow's milk versions are milder. But the most useful distinction is the geographical style. These are the three main types of feta you'll see at the store, and what they're best for.

Feta is one of the world's oldest cheeses for a reason. This soft and creamy fan favorite is traced back to 8th century Greece – the iconic cheese is even referenced in Homer's Odyssey! The salty and tangy flavor is what makes it so recognizable as a staple in Greek cuisine.

Our Weyauwega, WI cheese facility is the nation's largest feta producer. Its team upholds Wisconsin's rich traditions, creating feta that has consistently earned top honors at US and World Cheese Championship events.

Feta cheese can be made from sheep's milk or a combination of sheep and goat milks. Most cheese lovers say the best comes from sheep's milk. But keep in mind, true Feta cheese will contain, at most, 30% goat's milk. Feta is one of the world's oldest cheeses.

Although unopened feta can last for as long as six months in the fridge, as soon as you open it, this timeframe shortens to only seven days. Thankfully, extending the shelf life of this dairy product is as simple as storing it in olive oil after opening, which can maintain its freshness for two to three weeks.

You can freeze feta cheese but once thawed it will become drier and crumblier, so it's best to use it in cooking. To freeze, leave it whole or cut into desired shape and sizes. Place into a freezer bag and expel air. You can leave it in the freezer for up to two months.

Generally, feta cheese should not be left unrefrigerated for more than two hours. This is because feta cheese is a perishable dairy product that can promote bacterial growth at room temperature. Extended exposure to warm temperatures increases the risk of contamination and spoilage, compromising its quality and safety.

Why is feta pink? ›

Pink discoloration affects cheeses both with and without additional colorants. In cheeses with colorants, such as annatto, pink discoloration is thought to be a result of factors (oxidation, precipitation, temperature, and photooxidation) affecting the constituents of the colorant itself (1, 5).

When it comes to cheese, feta is a healthy choice. Not only is it packed with protein and fat – both essential nutrients for helping you to feel full and energised – it's also good for your gut. Probiotic yeasts in feta may lower the PH in your stomach, which is key for a healthy gut.

Discard any soft cheese showing mold. For hard cheese, such as Cheddar, cut off at least 1-inch around and below the mold spot (keep the knife out of the mold itself). After trimming off the mold, the remaining cheese should be safe to eat. Re-cover the cheese in fresh wrap and keep refrigerated.

The ancient Greeks called the product that emanated from the coagulation of milk “cheese”. The name Feta, literally meaning “slice,” originated in the 17th century, and probably refers to the practice of slicing up cheese to be placed into barrels—a tradition still practiced today.

Hutchings said that hard cheeses like parmesan and Swiss should be eaten within a month of purchase. Soft cheese like cheddar and mozzarella will only be good for one to two weeks after purchase. If you freeze your bag of shredded cheese, she recommends eating it within six months from when it was bought.

Greek feta cheese has a protected designation of origin (PDO) to ensure this unique product maintains its flavour owed to production methods that have been honed on the mountainous regions of Greece following a very long tradition.

Is feta goat cheese? Sometimes, but not usually. Traditionally feta is made using sheep milk, but commonly, it can be made using sheep, goat or cow milk, or any combination of the three. Feta has a salty and pleasantly tangy taste.

French Feta is made with Lacaune sheep's milk (if you remember, that's the sheep breed used for Roquefort production). It has a softer and creamier texture that Greek Feta and a milder, less tangy flavor (though it's sharper than Israeli Feta).