Feta: The Super Cheese
Its popularity in the world is growing
Feta is a traditional Greek cheese made from sheep's or sheep's and goat's milk (usually a 70/30 mixture) aged in brine. Feta made with sheep's milk is sharper and creamier than goat's or cow's milk feta. Sheep's milk feta is lighter, smoother, and spreads easier than cow's milk feta. First of all, sheep's milk comes from land-grazed sheep, eating grass, wild herbs, and plants that grow wild in the fields. Land-grazed sheep milk has a complex flavor profile. Sheep's milk feta is dry brined and is conducive to culturing probiotic bacteria. The probiotics within feta cheese add the tangy umami complexity to the cheese in the same manner as tannins and phenols do to wine. The probiotics elevate feta to its super cheese status. Some bacteria found on Greek feta are Lactobacillus Plantarum, Lactobacillus Brevis, Lactobacillus Coryniformis, and Lactobacillus Fermentum. These are common probiotics found in fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, pickles, brined olives, Korean Kimchi, and sourdough.
Feta cheese is an ancient cheese alluded to in Homer's Odysseus. Odysseus and his men noticed a sharp smell when they entered the cave. They discovered the white brined cheese in the shelter of Cyclops Polyphemus. Cato, the Elder in the second century B.C., mentions the brining of white cheese.
Real feta cheese has a PDO (Product Designation of Origin) from Greece and a salty, acidic taste. Feta's consistency is creamy but can crumble into little pepper ball-sized chunks. The cheese is brined as curd, and this gives its salty flavor. Feta is one of the saltiest cheeses at 5 %; other cheeses usually have 1.5 to 2 % salt content. Feta has the unique property of holding its structure when heated. The heat resilience is from the high protein content of feta. Because feta is brined, feta has a longer shelf life than most other cheeses.
Feta is rich in calcium and protein. And feta is loaded in Vitamin A and B complex vitamins. In addition, feta is lower in fat than aged parmesan, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese. Bake the feta with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, basil, and with a dash of oregano and onion, add garlic to taste, and you have created a creamy, tangy sauce that can sizzle any dish. Add it to seafood, chicken, bread, or pasta, and you have a dish worthy of any Bistro. Then, add black olives to put it over the top. I highly recommend this dish with shrimp and linguine. Use the sheep or sheep/goat version for this dish whenever heating feta. It becomes creamier when heated.
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