What Makes Feta, Feta
Feta is Greek, and since 2002 that has been the law. Protected as a PDO across the European Union, the name belongs only to cheese made the traditional way in mainland Greece and on the island of Lesbos. It must be sheep's milk, or a blend with up to 30 percent goat's milk, and never cow's milk. The curd is salted, packed into wooden barrels or tins, and left to ripen in its own brine for at least two months, which is where feta finds its tang, its salt, and that crumbly-yet-creamy break. Even the name is old: it comes from the Italian fetta, or slice, for the way blocks were cut to fit the brine.
Outside Greece, the same style is made all over, and while EU law will not call it feta, the results can be excellent in their own right. We carry the Greek PDO original alongside a French sheep's-milk version, a tangy Bulgarian block, and soft, marinated Persian-style fetas from Australia, much of it imported directly and cut to order. The Greek is the benchmark. The French and Bulgarian are gentler; the marinated styles are the wild cards. Most of it is sold in blocks and kept in brine, the traditional way feta stays fresh, while the marinated styles come in herbed oil instead.
Greek, French, Bulgarian: Which Feta to Buy
Start with the Greek if you want the original. Barrel-aged PDO feta is firm and tangy, carrying the richness of sheep's milk and a mineral sharpness from the goat's milk in the blend, and it keeps its shape in a salad or under the broiler. Our Feta Voras wears the PDO stamp and comes from the mountains of Greek Macedonia, the cheese to measure the others against. It is what a Greek salad is built on.
For something gentler, the French Valbreso is made from sheep's milk near the Roquefort region and turns out creamy and mild, an easy way in for anyone who finds Greek feta too sharp. Bulgarian feta sits between the two, tangy but smooth. And for the table, marinated styles shift the whole idea of feta: Divina's Greek feta cubed with olives, or the Australian Persian-style fetas, kept soft and steeped in herbed oil. Milk matters as much as country, since sheep's milk gives feta its depth while goat, buffalo, and even camel each pull the flavor somewhere new.
How to Use Feta, and How to Keep It
Summer cooking is where feta shines. Crumble it over a horiatiki salad with tomatoes, cucumber, and olives; bake a block in olive oil and honey until it slumps; fold it through spanakopita or whip it into a dip with lemon and dill. It takes to the grill, holds its own in pasta, and turns a plate of ripe melon savory. A drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and a scatter of oregano is most of what a fine block asks for.
Feta lives in brine for a reason. Left dry in the fridge, it hardens and turns sharp as the moisture leaves, so keep it submerged in its own liquid, or mix a quick brine of water and a little salt when the tub runs low. Stored that way, a block holds for weeks. Buy it in the block rather than pre-crumbled, too, since crumbles dry out fast and often lean on stabilizers that a proper feta has no use for.
Also Worth Exploring
Sheep's milk gives feta its tang, so if that is what you are after, the wider sheep's milk cheese collection runs from Manchego to Pecorino. To build a Greek table around it, browse the Greek pantry and foods, and when you want to look past feta entirely, the full cheese counter holds more than 550 to choose from.
Feta Cheese: Frequently Asked Questions
For most cheese lovers, the benchmark is traditional Greek PDO feta, brined and, in the best examples, matured in wooden barrels. Barrel-aged Greek feta is prized for being firm, tangy, and complex, and it is the standard serious cheese shops measure others against. That said, best depends on how you like it: if Greek feta tastes too sharp, a French sheep's-milk feta like Valbreso is milder and creamier, while Bulgarian feta lands in between. More than any one brand, it is the label that matters. Look for sheep's milk, a clear country of origin, and cheese sold in brine instead of pre-crumbled in a dry tub. True Greek feta also costs more than everyday supermarket feta, and that price gap is often a fair sign of quality.
Authenticity is defined by law. Since 2002, feta has been a PDO, a Protected Designation of Origin, in the European Union, which means only cheese made the traditional way in mainland Greece and on the island of Lesbos may be called feta there. It must be made from sheep's milk, sometimes blended with a little goat's milk, and never from cow's milk. The curd is salted and ripened in brine for at least two months, often in wooden barrels, which gives feta its signature tang and crumble. Outside the EU the name is not enforced, so American feta can be made from any milk. To be sure of the real thing, check for sheep's milk and a Greek origin on the label.
Sheep's milk is the backbone of feta. Greek PDO feta must be made from sheep's milk, or from sheep's milk with up to 30 percent goat's milk, and it never contains cow's milk. The sheep's milk gives feta its richness and depth, while a little goat's milk adds sharpness and its bright white color. Outside Greece the rules do not apply, so feta-style cheeses can be made from cow's milk, or from goat, buffalo, or even camel milk, as a few of the marinated Australian styles are. If you want the classic flavor and firm crumble, look for sheep's milk on the label, since cow's-milk versions tend to be milder and more rubbery. Sheep's milk is also why good feta crumbles cleanly yet stays creamy, softening without turning greasy when baked.
The mildest fetas tend to be French. Valbreso, made from sheep's milk near the Roquefort region of France, is creamy and gentle rather than sharp, which makes it a good starting point if traditional Greek feta tastes too salty or tangy for you. Marinated and Persian-style fetas are mild too, since steeping the cheese in oil softens both its texture and its bite. Among Greek fetas, the soft variety is milder than the firm, barrel-aged kind. As a rule, sheep's-milk fetas are richer and rounder, and the sharpest, saltiest flavor comes from long brine aging, so a younger or oil-marinated feta is the way to go for mildness. For a crowd new to feta, a French or marinated style is the safer crowd-pleaser, while devoted feta lovers tend to prefer the sharp, salty punch of barrel-aged Greek.
That depends on your taste. Greek is the original and the legal standard, the only version that can carry the PDO mark, and barrel-aged Greek is hard to beat for tangy, complex flavor. French feta, like Valbreso, is milder and creamier, which many people prefer for everyday eating or as a first feta. Bulgarian feta is tangy and smooth, a middle path between the two. None of these is a lesser cheese; they are different expressions of the same brined, sheep's-milk tradition. For a classic Greek salad or a baked feta, reach for the Greek; for a gentler crumble, the French or Bulgarian will serve you well. Price tends to track origin too, with imported Greek PDO usually costing more than a domestic block.