Feta Cheese
Feta is a brined, tangy Greek cheese traditionally made from sheep's milk or a sheep-and-goat blend, staying firm and salty thanks to curing in its own salty whey brine.
How to buy
Buy feta packed in brine rather than pre-shredded and dry, which loses flavor and dries out fast. Feta PDO from Greece, made from sheep and goat milk, offers the most authentic tang, though many good non-Greek versions exist. Avoid any block with a hard, cracked surface.
How to store
Keep feta submerged in its brine, or a homemade saltwater brine, in the refrigerator; stored this way it keeps for several weeks to a couple of months. Once removed from brine and cut, use it within about a week.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Salty, tangy, and sharp with a pleasant sheepy funk. Goat-milk blends add more tang, while cow's-milk imitation fetas taste noticeably milder and flatter by comparison.
- Texture
- Firm but crumbly and slightly moist; it doesn't melt smoothly, instead softening and holding its shape when warmed.
- Aroma
- A briny, tangy aroma with a faint sheep's-milk funk, most pronounced in traditional Greek PDO feta.
How to prepare
- Crumbled — Broken into salads, grain bowls, and dips for bursts of salty tang.
- Baked — Warmed in the oven, sometimes whole, until soft and lightly browned.
- Whipped — Blended smooth with olive oil and lemon into a creamy dip.
- Marinated — Steeped in olive oil with herbs and peppercorns to add aroma and mellow the salt.
Classic dishes
French
- Feta and spinach quiche — A savory tart filled with a spinach and crumbled feta custard.
Mediterranean
- Feta and olive flatbread — Flatbread topped with crumbled feta, olives, and herbs.
- Baked feta pasta — Cherry tomatoes and a block of feta baked together, then tossed through pasta.
- Feta-stuffed peppers — Sweet peppers filled with a feta and herb mixture and roasted.
- Feta and tomato bruschetta — Toasted bread topped with chopped tomato, crumbled feta, and olive oil.
Greek
- Horiatiki (Greek salad) — Tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and onion topped with a thick slab of feta.
- Spanakopita — Spinach and feta baked between layers of flaky phyllo pastry.
- Tyropita — A phyllo pastry filled with a feta-based cheese mixture, baked until crisp.
- Baked feta with honey and chili — A block of feta baked until soft, drizzled with honey and chili flakes.
- Feta and watermelon salad — Sweet watermelon paired with salty feta and fresh mint for contrast.
- Feta-stuffed phyllo triangles — Small folded phyllo parcels filled with a feta and herb mixture, baked or fried.
- Htipiti (whipped feta dip) — Feta blended with roasted red pepper and olive oil into a spicy, creamy dip.
- Greek orzo salad with feta — Orzo pasta tossed with vegetables, herbs, and crumbled feta.
- Marinated feta in olive oil and herbs — Feta blocks steeped in olive oil with garlic, herbs, and peppercorns.
Middle Eastern
- Fattoush with feta — A bread salad topped with crumbled feta alongside crisp vegetables.
- Feta and roasted red pepper dip — A smoky, tangy dip blending feta with roasted peppers and olive oil.
Substitutions
- Goat Cheese — Milder and creamier, less salty; good in salads but won't hold the same firm crumble.
- Queso Fresco — Much less salty and briny; add extra salt to approximate feta's punch.