Fetta vs. Feta

Feta

Feta (Greek Φέτα, féta, “slice”) is a brined curd white cheese made in Greece from sheep’s milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk. It is a crumbly aged cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. Feta is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads (e.g. the Greek salad) and pastries. Most notable is its use in the popular phyllo-based dishes spanakopita (“spinach pie”) and tyropita (“cheese pie”), or served with some olive oil or olives and sprinkled with aromatic herbs such as oregano. It can also be served cooked or grilled, as part of a sandwich, in omelettes, or as a salty alternative to other cheeses in a variety of dishes.

Since 2002, feta has been a protected designation of origin product in the European Union. According to the relevant EU legislation, only those cheeses produced in a traditional way in particular areas of Greece, which are made from sheep’s milk, or from a mixture of sheep’s and up to 30% of goat’s milk from the same area, can be called feta. However, similar white, brined cheeses (often called “white cheese” in various languages) are made traditionally in the Eastern Mediterranean and around the Black Sea and more recently elsewhere, often partly or wholly of cow’s milk, and they are sometimes also called feta.

Feta (noun)

a white salty Greek cheese made from the milk of ewes or goats.