View source for Feta

{{Short description|Brined white cheese from Greece}}
{{Other uses|FETA (disambiguation){{!}}FETA}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox cheese
| name          = Feta
| image         = [[File:Feta Cheese.jpg|250px]]
| othernames    = 
| country       = [[Greece]]
| regiontown    = 
| region        = Mainland Greece and [[Lesbos Prefecture]]
| town          = 
| source        = Sheep (≥70%) and goat per [[Protected Designation of Origin|PDO]]; similar cheeses may contain cow or buffalo milk
| pasteurized   = Depends on variety
| texture       = Depends on variety
| fat           = 
| protein       = 
| dimensions    = 
| weight        = 
| aging         = Min. 3 months
| certification = [[Protected Designation of Origin|PDO]], 2002
}}

'''Feta''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|ɛ|t|ə}} {{respell|FET|ə}}; {{langx|el|[[wikt:φέτα|φέτα]]}} {{IPA|el|ˈfeta|}}) is a [[Greek cuisine|Greek]] [[brine cheese|brined]] white [[cheese]] made from [[sheep's milk|sheep milk]] or from a mixture of sheep and [[goat's milk|goat milk]]. It is soft, with small or no holes, and no skin. Crumbly with a slightly grainy texture, it is formed into large blocks and [[Cheese ripening|aged]] in [[brine]]. Its flavor is tangy and salty, ranging from mild to sharp. Feta is used in salads, such as [[Greek salad]], and in pastries, notably the [[phyllo]]-based [[Greek cuisine|Greek dishes]] ''[[spanakopita]]'' "spinach pie" and ''[[tyropita]]'' "cheese pie". It is often served with olive oil or olives, and sprinkled with aromatic herbs such as [[oregano]]. It can also be served cooked (often [[Grilling|grilled]]), as part of a [[sandwich]], in [[omelette]]s, and many other dishes.

Since 2002, feta has been a [[protected designation of origin]] in the [[European Union]] (EU). [[European law|EU legislation]] and similar legislation in 25 other countries<ref name=Origin/> limits the name ''feta'' to cheeses produced in the traditional way in mainland Greece and [[Lesbos Prefecture]],<ref name=GIView/> which are made from sheep milk, or from a mixture of sheep milk and up to 30% of goat milk from the same area.<ref name=Gooch>{{cite web |last=Gooch |first=Ellen |date=Spring–Summer 2006 |title=Truth, Lies, and Feta: The Cheese that Launched a (Trade) War |issue=2 |url=http://www.epikouria.com/issue2/truth-lies-and-feta.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705120910/http://www.epikouria.com/issue2/truth-lies-and-feta.php |archive-date=5 July 2009 |magazine=Epikouria: Fine Foods and Drinks of Greece |publisher=Triaina Publishing}}</ref>

Similar white brined cheeses are made traditionally in the [[Balkans]], [[Cyprus]], around the [[Black Sea]], in [[West Asia]], and more recently elsewhere. Outside the EU, the name ''feta'' is often used generically for these cheeses.<ref name="Pappas">{{cite web|last=Pappas|first=Gregory|title=Feta Cheese at the Heart of Growing US-EU Trade Tensions|work=The Pappas Post|year=2015|publisher=Elite CafeMedia Lifestyle|url=https://www.pappaspost.com/feta-cheese-at-the-heart-of-growing-us-eu-trade-tensions/}}</ref>

==Generic term and production outside Greece==
For many consumers, the word ''feta'' is a generic term for a white, crumbly cheese aged in brine. Production of the cheese first began in the Eastern Mediterranean and around the Black Sea. Over time, production expanded to countries including [[Denmark]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[United States]], often partly or wholly of cow milk, and is (or was) sometimes also called ''feta''.<ref name="Pappas"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015 |title=Defining a Name's Origin: The Case of Feta |url=https://www.wipo.int/ipadvantage/en/details.jsp?id=5578 |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=www.wipo.int |language=en}}</ref> In the United States, most cheese sold under the name ''feta'' is American and made from cow milk.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-07-24 |title=What's in a name? U.S, EU battle over "feta" in trade talks |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/eu-usa-trade-cheese-idUSL1N1040JG20150724 |access-date=2023-03-28}}</ref>{{Request quotation|date=March 2023}}

==Geographical indication==
[[File:Feta GI.svg|thumb|300px|Countries where the term "feta" is protected as a geographical indication
{{legend|#f9cc88|Country of origin (Greece)}}
{{legend|#cc88f9|Protected as geographical indication}}
{{legend|#88f9cc|Protected as geographical indication (with limitations)}}]]

Since 2002, feta has been a [[Protected Designation of Origin]] (PDO) product within the European Union. According to the relevant EU legislation (applicable within the EU and Northern Ireland), as well as similar UK legislation only those cheeses produced in a traditional way in particular areas of Greece, which are made from sheep milk, or from a mixture of sheep milk and up to 30% of goat milk from the same area, can be called feta. In several other countries, the term feta has since been protected. An overview is shown in the table below.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Protection of feta/Φέτα as a geographical indication<ref name=Origin>{{cite web|url=https://www.origin-gi.com/i-gi-origin-worldwide-gi-compilation-uk.html?filter=Feta&cc=p|work=ORIGIN-GI|title=oriGIn Worldwide GIs Compilation|accessdate=1 September 2021|archive-date=1 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901140401/https://www.origin-gi.com/i-gi-origin-worldwide-gi-compilation-uk.html?filter=Feta&cc=p|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=GIView>{{cite web|url=https://www.tmdn.org/giview/gi/EUGI00000013179|work=GI View - European Union|title=Φέτα / Feta|accessdate=1 September 2021}}</ref>
|-
! Country/territory !! Start of protection !! Comments/Exceptions
|-
| [[Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union|European Union]] || {{dts|15 October 2002}} || PDO, also valid in Northern Ireland
|-
| Armenia || {{dts|26 January 2018}} || Also protected as Ֆետա
|-
| Bosnia and Herzegovina || {{dts|18 February 2016}} || 
|-
| Canada || {{dts|21 September 2017}} || Use of feta including the terms "kind", "type", "style", "imitation" etc. is allowed, as well as use by producers using the term before 18 October 2013.
|-
| China || {{dts|1 March 2021}} || Also protected as 菲达奶酪. Until 1 March 2029 limited use of the term is allowed for similar products.
|-
| Colombia ||  || 
|-
| Costa Rica ||  || 
|-
| El Salvador ||  || 
|-
| Ecuador ||  || 
|-
| Georgia ||{{dts|1 April 2012}}  || Also protected as ფეტა.
|-
| Guatemala ||  || 
|-
| Honduras ||  || 
|-
| Iceland ||{{dts|1 May 2018}}  || 
|-
| Japan ||{{dts|1 February 2019}}  || Also protected as フェタ.
|-
| Kosovo ||{{dts|1 April 2016}}  ||
|-
| Liechtenstein ||{{dts|27 July 2007}}  ||
|-
| Moldova ||{{dts|1 April 2013}}  || 
|-
| Montenegro ||{{dts|1 January 2008}}  ||
|-
| Nicaragua ||  || 
|-
| Panama ||  || 
|-
| Peru ||  || 
|-
| Serbia || {{dts|1 February 2010}} || 
|-
| [[Geographical indications in Singapore|Singapore]] || {{dts|29 June 2019}} || 
|-
| South Africa || {{dts|1 November 2016}} || 
|-
| South Korea || {{dts|14 May 2011}} || Also protected as 페따.
|-
| Switzerland || {{dts|01 December 2014}} || 
|-
| Ukraine || {{dts|31 December 2015}} || Also protected as Фета. As of 31 December 2022, limited use of the term is no longer allowed for similar products
|-
| [[List of United Kingdom food and drink products with protected status|United Kingdom]] || {{dts|31 December 2020}} || Continuation of EU PDO, valid in England, Scotland and Wales
|-
| Vietnam|| {{dts|1 August 2020}} || 
|}

=== Effect of certification ===
Prior to Greece's pursuit of a PDO for its feta, there was long-standing production outside of Greece in three member states: Germany, Denmark and France, and in certain countries (e.g., Denmark) feta was perceived as a generic term, while it was perceived as a designation of origin in others (e.g., Greece), with the centre of production and consumption taking place in Greece.<ref name=CJEU2005>{{cite web|url=https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=60669&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=4869991|work=[[CJEU]]|title=Joined Cases C-465/02 and C-466/02 Feta|accessdate=1 September 2021}}</ref> Greece first requested the registration of feta as a designation of origin in the EU in 1994, which was approved in 1996 by commission regulation (EC) No 1107/96<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31996R1107&from=EN|work=European Commission|title=Commission Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 of 12 June 1996 on the registration of geographical indications and designations of origin under the procedure laid down in Article 17 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92}}</ref> The decision was appealed to the [[Court of Justice of the European Union]] (CJEU) by Denmark, France and Germany, which annulled the decision as the Commission did not evaluate sufficiently whether or not Feta had become a generic term.<ref name=CJEU1999>{{cite web|url=https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=44488&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=4872830|work=[[CJEU]]|title=In Joined Cases C-289/96, C-293/96 and C-299/96 Feta|accessdate=1 September 2021}}</ref>

After that decision, the European Commission reevaluated registering feta as a PDO, taking into account production in other EU countries and re-registered feta as a PDO in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1829/2002. This decision was appealed again at CJEU by Denmark and Germany. In 2005, the CJEU upheld the Commission Regulation. It indicated that indeed the term was generic in some EU countries and that production also took place outside Greece, but that on the other hand the geographical region in Greece was well defined and that even non-Greek producers often appealed to the status of Feta as a Greek product through the choice of packaging.<ref name="CJEU2005" />

Although the island of [[Cephalonia]] also traditionally produces feta, the island was left out of the definition of the protected designation of origin. While this does not play a role for consumers in Greece, dairies lose out in sales abroad because they do not produce real "feta" and have to accept price reductions.<ref>[https://www.greekgastronomyguide.gr/de/ item/%CF%84%CF%85%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BA%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AC-%CE%BA%CE% B5%CF%86%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%AC%CF%82/]</ref>

The European Commission gave other nations five years to find a new name for their feta cheese or stop production.<ref name=Gooch/> Because of the decision by the European Union, Danish dairy company [[Arla Foods]] changed the name of its white cheese products to ''Apetina'', which is also the name of an Arla food brand established in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arla Apetina|work=Arla|year=2013|publisher=Arla Foods|access-date=7 December 2013|url=http://www.arla.com/brands/Cheese/Arla-Apetina/|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112020710/http://www.arla.com/brands/Cheese/Arla-Apetina/|archive-date=12 November 2013|df=dmy}}</ref> The British cheese Yorkshire Feta was renamed to [[Fine Fettle Yorkshire]].<ref>{{cite news |date=30 April 2007 |title=Feta-ccompli for big cheese name |publisher=[[bbc.co.uk]] |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/6606779.stm}}</ref> When needed to describe an imitation feta, names such as "salad cheese" and "Greek-style cheese" are used.

The EU included feta in several [[Associations Agreements]], [[Free Trade Agreements]] and agreements on the recognition of Geographical Indications, which led to the expansion of protection of the term "feta". Exporters from the EU to foreign markets outside the territories covered by these agreements are not subject to the European Commission rules. As such, the non-Greek EU cheese sold abroad is often labeled as feta.

In 2013, an agreement was reached with Canada ([[CETA]]) in which Canadian feta manufacturers retained their rights to continue producing feta while new entrants to the market would label the product "feta-style/type cheese".<ref>{{cite news|last=Emmott|first=Robin|title=Greece wants changes to EU-Canada trade deal to protect "feta" name|work=Reuters|access-date=4 October 2016|date=5 May 2015|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/eu-canada-greece-trade-idUSL5N0XW2VW20150505}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Official Journal of the European Union|2017|p=141}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union (www.consilium.europa.eu/en/)|last2=Greek Delegation (www.mfa.gr/brussels/en/)|title=Protection of the Geographical Indication of Feta Cheese in the Context of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) — Request from the Greek Delegation|date=30 April 2015|url=https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8508-2015-INIT/en/pdf|work=Foreign Affairs/Trade Council Session of 2015-05-07|page=3|type=WTO 100 Note [Annex is Presentation of Greek Request]|place=Brussels|format=PDF|id=ST 8508 2015 INIT|access-date=18 January 2019}}.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Christides|first=Giorgos|title=Feta Cheese Row Sours EU-Canada Trade Deal|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-25363611|quote=But new Canadian brands of 'feta' will have to call their cheese 'feta-style' or 'imitation feta' and cannot evoke Greece on the label, such as using Greek lettering or an image of ancient Greek columns.|newspaper=[[BBC]]|date=13 December 2013|access-date=24 May 2014}}</ref> In other markets such as the United States, [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]] and elsewhere, full generic usage of the term "feta" continues, and was one of several original name issues preventing the signing of an Australia–EU free trade deal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hurst |first=Daniel |date=2023-10-29 |title=Australia's free trade deal with EU collapses as both sides accuse the other of being unwilling to compromise |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/30/australia-eu-free-trade-deal-collapses-g7-fta-european-union |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Description==
The EU PDO for feta requires a maximum moisture of 56%, a minimum fat content in dry matter of 43%, and a pH that usually ranges from 4.4 to 4.6.<ref>{{cite web|title=Presenting the Feta Cheese P.D.O. – Feta's Description|work=Fetamania|year=2010|publisher=CheeseNet: Promoting Greek PDO Cheese|access-date=7 December 2013|url=http://www.fetamania.gr/english/index.htm|archive-date=18 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118233857/http://www.fetamania.gr/english/index.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Production of the EU PDO feta is traditionally categorized into firm and soft varieties. The firm variety is tangier and considered higher in quality. The soft variety is almost soft enough to be spreadable, mostly used in pies and sold at a cheaper price. Slicing feta produces some amount of ''trímma'', "crumble", which is also used for pies (not being sellable, ''trímma'' is usually given away for free upon request).

High-quality feta should have a creamy texture when sampled, and aromas of ewe's milk, butter, and yoghurt. In the mouth it is tangy, slightly salty, and mildly sour, with a spicy finish that recalls [[Black pepper|pepper]] and [[ginger]], as well as a hint of sweetness. According to the specification of the Geographical Indication, the biodiversity of the land coupled with the special breeds of sheep and goats used for milk is what gives feta cheese a specific aroma and flavor.<ref name=GIView/>

==Production==
Traditionally (and legally within the EU and other territories where it is protected), feta is produced using only whole sheep milk, or a blend of sheep and goat milk (with a maximum of 30% goat milk).<ref>{{cite book|author=European Union|title=Feta: Livestock Farming|publisher=European Commission – Agriculture and Rural Development: Door|date=15 October 2002|page=18|url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/documentDisplay.html?chkDocument=4782_1_en}}</ref> The milk may be pasteurized or not, but most producers now use pasteurized milk. If pasteurized milk is used, a starter culture of micro-organisms is added to replace those naturally present in raw milk that are killed in pasteurization. These organisms are required for acidity and flavour development.

When the pasteurized milk has cooled to approximately {{convert|35|C|F}},<ref name=Harbutt>{{harvnb|Harbutt|2006}}.</ref><ref name="Feta Production">{{cite web|title=Feta Production|work=Fetamania|year=2010|publisher=CheeseNet: Promoting Greek PDO Cheese|access-date=7 December 2013|url=http://fetamania.gr/english-html/production.htm|archive-date=31 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731090047/http://fetamania.gr/english-html/production.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[rennet]] is added and the [[casein]] is left to coagulate. The compacted curds are then chopped up and placed in a special mould or a cloth bag that allows the whey to drain.<ref>{{harvnb|Barthélemy|Sperat-Czar|2004}}.</ref><ref name="Odysea">{{cite web|title=Greek Cheese|work=Odysea|year=2013|publisher=Odysea Limited|access-date=7 December 2013|url=http://www.odysea.com/products/feta-cheese.php|archive-date=23 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523170241/http://www.odysea.com/products/feta-cheese.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> After several hours, the curd is firm enough to cut up and salt;<ref name=Harbutt/> salinity will eventually reach approximately 3%,<ref name="Feta Production"/> when the salted curds are placed (depending on the producer and the area of Greece) in metal vessels or wooden barrels and allowed to infuse for several days.<ref name=Harbutt/><ref name="Feta Production"/><ref name="Odysea"/>

After the dry-salting of the cheese is complete, aging or maturation in [[brine]] (a 7% salt in water solution) takes several weeks at room temperature and a further minimum of 2 months in a refrigerated high-humidity environment—as before, either in wooden barrels or metal vessels,<ref name="Feta Production"/><ref name="Odysea"/> depending on the producer (the more traditional barrel aging is said to impart a unique flavour). The containers are then shipped to supermarkets where the cheese is cut and sold directly from the container; alternatively blocks of standardized weight are packaged in sealed plastic cups with some brine.

Feta dries relatively quickly even when refrigerated. If stored for longer than a week, it should be kept in brine or lightly salted milk.

==History==
{{quote box|width=265px|align=right|bgcolor=#c6dbf7|quote=They make a great many cheeses; it is a pity they are so salty. I saw great warehouses full of them, some in which the brine, or ''salmoria'' as we would say was two feet deep, and the large cheeses were floating in it. Those in charge told me that the cheeses could not be preserved in any other way, being so rich. They do not know how to make butter. They sell a great quantity to the ships that call there: it was astonishing to see the number of cheeses taken on board our own galley.|source=Pietro Casola, 15th-century Italian traveller to Crete<ref name=Dalby190/>}}

Cheese made from sheep and goat milk has been common in the [[Eastern Mediterranean]] since ancient times.<ref name=Dalby23>{{harvnb|Dalby|1996|pp=23, 43}}.</ref><ref name=Adams/> In [[Bronze Age]] [[Canaan]], cheese was perhaps among the salted foods shipped by sea in ceramic jars and so rennet-coagulated white cheeses similar to feta may have been shipped in brine, but there is no direct evidence for this.<ref>{{harvnb|Kindstedt|2012|pp=48–50}}.</ref> In Greece, the earliest documented reference to cheese production dates back to the 8th century BC and the technology used to make cheese from sheep-goat milk is similar to the technology used by Greek shepherds today to produce feta.<ref name=Polychroniadou283>{{harvnb|Polychroniadou-Alichanidou|2004|p=283}}.</ref><ref name=Bintsis-Alichanidis>{{harvnb|Bintsis|Alichanidis|2018|p=180}}.</ref> In the ''[[Odyssey]]'', [[Homer]] describes how [[Polyphemus]] makes cheese and dry-stores it in wicker racks,<ref>''Odyssey'' '''9''':219-249</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hatziminaoglou|Boyazoglou|2004|p=126: "Homer in his famous ancient Greek book, the Odyssey, describes the use of dairy goats during the Mycenean times (about 1200 B.C.), when the Cyclops Polyphemus in his cave sat down to milk his goats and sheep, then put aside half of the milk to be curdled in wicker baskets with the previous day’s whey".}}</ref> though he says nothing about brining<ref>{{harvnb|Razionale|2016|p=360}}.</ref>—resulting perhaps, according to Paul S. Kindstedt, in a rinded cheese similar to modern [[pecorino]] and [[caprino cheese|caprino]] rather than feta.<ref>{{harvnb|Kindstedt|2012|pp=74–76}}.</ref> On the other hand, E. M. Antifantakis and G. Moatsou state that Polyphemus' cheese was "undoubtedly the ancestor of modern Feta".<ref name=Antifantakis-Moatsou>{{harvnb|Antifantakis|Moatsou|2006|p=43}}.</ref> Origins aside, cheese produced from sheep-goat milk was a common food in [[ancient Greece]] and an integral component of later [[Greek cuisine|Greek gastronomy]].<ref name=Polychroniadou283/><ref name=Bintsis-Alichanidis/><ref name=Antifantakis-Moatsou/>

The first unambiguous documentation of preserving cheese in brine appears in [[Cato the Elder]]'s ''[[De Agri Cultura]]'' (2nd century BC), though the practice was surely much older.<ref name=Kindstedt50>{{harvnb|Kindstedt|2012|p=50}}.</ref> It is also described in the 10th-century ''[[Geoponica]]''.<ref name=Kindstedt50/> Feta cheese, specifically, is recorded by [[Michael Psellos|Psellos]] in the 11th century under the name ''prósphatos'' (Greek πρόσφατος 'recent, fresh'), and was produced by [[Crete|Cretans]].<ref>Michael Psellos. "Poem on Medicine", '''1''':209; {{harvnb|Dalby|1996|p=190}}.</ref> In the late 15th century, an [[Italians|Italian]] visitor to [[Heraklion|Candia]], Pietro Casola, describes the marketing of feta, as well as its storage in brine.<ref name=Dalby190>{{harvnb|Dalby|1996|p=190}}.</ref> Feta cheese, along with milk and [[Lamb and mutton|sheep meat]], is the principal source of income for shepherds in northwestern Greece.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Öncel |first=Fatma |date=2020 |publication-date=2021 |title=Transhumants and Rural Change in Northern Greece Throughout the Nineteenth Century |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/E07437275D8338774F6A756FB3CBBA8E/S0020859020000371a.pdf/transhumants-and-rural-change-in-northern-greece-throughout-the-nineteenth-century.pdf |journal=[[International Review of Social History]] |language=en |volume=66 |issue=1 |page=49 |doi=10.1017/S0020859020000371 |s2cid=225563374 |issn=0020-8590 |quote=Every summer, from time immemorial, shepherds have brought their flocks to the high pastures of the Pindos Mountains in the northwest corner of Greece. […] Milk, feta cheese, and the meat from the lambs are the shepherds' principal source of income.}}</ref>

The Greek word {{transliteration|el|féta}} ({{lang|el|φέτα}}) comes from the Italian {{lang|it|fetta}} {{gloss|slice}}, which in turn is derived from the Latin {{lang|la|offa}} {{gloss|morsel, piece}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harper|first=David|title=feta (n.)|work=Online Etymology Dictionary|year=2001–2020|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/feta}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Babiniotis|1998}}.</ref> The word ''feta'' became widespread as a name for the cheese only in the 19th century; probably referring to the cheese being cut to pack it in barrels.<ref name=Adams>{{harvnb|Adams|2016|p=271}}.</ref> The same cheese can be referred to differently within Greece itself. In [[Thessaloniki]], for example, it is referred to as {{transliteration|el|tyrí}} ({{lang|el|τυρί}}), which is the general word for {{gloss|cheese}} in the south of the country.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-05-13 |title=Η γλώσσα της Θεσσαλονίκης και η γλώσσα της Αθήνας ― το λεξικό των διαφορών {{!}} LiFO |url=https://www.lifo.gr/tropos-zois/urban/i-glossa-tis-thessalonikis-kai-i-glossa-tis-athinas-lexiko-ton-diaforon |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=www.lifo.gr |language=el}}</ref>

==Nutrition==
{{nutritionalvalue|name=Feta (typical)|kJ=1103|protein=14 g|fat=21 g|carbs=4 g|calcium_mg=493|phosphorus=337|sodium_mg=1116|zinc_mg=2.9|riboflavin_mg=0.84|pantothenic_mg=0.97|vitB6_mg=0.42|vitB12_ug=1.7|vitA_iu=422|source_usda=1|right=1}}

Feta has significant amounts of [[calcium]] and [[phosphorus]]; however, feta is higher in water and thus lower in fat and calories than [[aged cheeses]] like [[Parmigiano-Reggiano|parmigiano-reggiano]] or [[Cheddar cheese|cheddar]].<ref>{{cite web|last= Θερμόπουλος|first=Μιχάλης|title=Φέτα: Τι προσφέρει και τι κινδύνους κρύβει – Διατροφικά στοιχεία|work=iatropedia|date=12 July 2020|url=http://www.iatropedia.gr/diatrofi/feta-diatrofika-stoicheia-gia-ethniko-mas-tyri-ti-prosferei-kai-ti-kindynous-kryvei/72125/}}</ref> The cheese may contain beneficial [[probiotics]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2018/03/15/My-big-fat-Greek-functional-food-probiotic-feta-could-become-a-big-cheese |title=My big fat Greek functional food - probiotic feta could become a big cheese|website=Nutrain Ingredients|last1=Cutcliffe|first1=Tom|date=15 March 2018|access-date=30 April 2020|via=Food Microbiology}}</ref>

Feta, as a sheep dairy product, contains up to 1.9% [[Conjugated linoleic acid|conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)]], which is about 0.8% of its fat content.<ref>{{harvnb|Prandini|Sigolo|Piva|2011|pp=55–61}}.</ref>

Feta cheese is very high in salt, at over 400&nbsp;mg [[sodium]] per 100 calories.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cheese, feta Nutrition Facts & Calories|work=NutritionData: Know What You Eat|date=2018|publisher=Condé Nast|url=http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/18/2}}</ref>

==Similar cheeses==
[[File:Greece Food Horiatiki.JPG|alt=|thumb|A [[Greek salad]] with a slice of feta]]

Similar cheeses can be found in other countries, such as:

* [[Albania]] ([[Urdă|Urdha]] or ''djathë i bardhë'', {{literally|white cheese}})
* [[Armenia]] (''Չանախ'' chanakh - cheese made in a ''chan'', a type of [[Crock (dishware)|crock]])
* [[Azerbaijan]] (''ağ pendir'', {{literally|white cheese}})
* [[Bosnia]] (Travnički/[[Vlašićki sir]], lit. "cheese from [[Vlašić (Bosnian mountain)|Vlašić]]/[[Travnik]]") 
* [[Bulgaria]] (бяло сирене, {{Transliteration|bg|bjalo [[sirene]]}}, lit. "white cheese")
* [[Canada]] (''feta style cheese'', or simply ''feta'' for those companies producing the cheese prior to October 2013)
* [[Cyprus]] (''χαλίτζια'', halitzia)
* [[Czech Republic]] (''balkánský sýr'', lit. "Balkan cheese")
* [[Egypt]] (''[[domiati]]'')
* [[Finland]] (salaattijuusto, "salad cheese")
* [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] (ყველი, ''kveli'', lit. "cheese")
* [[Germany]] (''Schafskäse'', "sheep cheese")
* [[Hungary]] (''juhtúró'', "sheep cheese")
* [[Iran]] ([[Lighvan cheese]]; {{lang|fa|پنیر لیقوان}} ''panīr-e līghvān'')
* [[Israel]] (''gvinat rosh hanikra'', lit. "[[Israeli feta|Rosh Hanikra cheese]]", sometimes called abroad 'Israeli feta'.)
* [[Italy]] (''casu 'e fitta'' [[Sardinia]])
* [[Lebanon]] ({{Transliteration|ar|gibneh bulgharieh}}, lit. "Bulgarian cheese")
* [[Republic of North Macedonia|North Macedonia]] (сирење, ''[[sirenje]]'')
* [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] and [[Jordan]] ([[Nabulsi cheese]]; {{lang|ar|جبنة نابلسية}}, and ''[[Akkawi]]''; {{lang|ar|عكاوي}})
* [[Romania]] (''[[brânză telemea]]'')
* [[Russia]] (брынза, ''[[bryndza|brynza]]'')
* [[Serbia]] (сир, ''[[sirenje|sir]]'' as a common name; сирење, ''[[sirenje]]'' in South, including Kosovo Serb; and ''brinza'' in north and east Serbia within Slovak and [[Aromanians|Aromanian]] populations)
* [[Slovakia]] (''[[bryndza]]'' and ''Balkánsky syr'', lit. "Balkan cheese")
* [[Spain]] (''Queso de Burgos'', lit. "Burgos cheese")
* [[Sudan]] (''[[gibna beyda]]'', lit. "white cheese")
* [[Tajikistan]] ({{lang|tg|панир}}, ''panir'', lit. "cheese")
* [[Turkey]] (''[[beyaz peynir]]'', lit. "white cheese")
* [[Ukraine]] (бринза, ''[[bryndza|brynza]]'')
* [[United Kingdom]] ("salad cheese")

==See also==
{{Portal|Food}}
* {{annotated link|List of ancient dishes|List of ancient dishes and foods}}
* {{annotated link|List of cheeses}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== General and cited references ==
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{cite book|last=Adams|first=Alexis Marie|chapter=feta|editor-last=Donnelly|editor-first=Catherine W.|title=The Oxford Companion to Cheese|year=2016|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0199330881|pages=269–271}}
* {{cite book|last1=Antifantakis|first1=E. M.|last2=Moatsou|first2=G.|chapter=2 Feta and Other Balkan Cheeses|editor-last=Tamime|editor-first=Adnan|title=Brined Cheeses|year=2006|location=Oxford|publisher=Blackwell Publishing Ltd|isbn=9781405124607|pages=43–76}}
* {{cite book|last=Babiniotis|first=George D.|script-title=el:Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας|location=Athens|publisher=Kentro Leksikologias|year=1998|isbn=9789608619005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qDIjQwAACAAJ|language=el|title=Λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας με σχόλια για τη σωστή χρήση των λέξεων}}
* {{cite book|last1=Barthélemy|first1=Roland|last2=Sperat-Czar|first2=Arnaud|title=Cheeses of the World|year=2004|location=London|publisher=Hachette Illustrated|isbn=978-1-84-430115-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C64sAAAACAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last1=Bintsis|first1=Thomas|last2=Alichanidis|first2=Efstathios|chapter=Cheeses from Greece|editor-last=Papademas|editor-first1=Photis|editor-last2=Bintsis|editor-first2=Thomas|title=Global Cheesemaking Technology: Cheese Quality and Characteristics|year=2018|location=Hoboken, NJ|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Ltd|isbn=9781119046158|pages=180–181}}
* {{cite book|last=Dalby|first=Andrew|title=Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece|year=1996|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134969852|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I4UeyRkqgvQC}}
* {{cite book|last=Kindstedt|first=Paul S.|title=Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and Its Place in Western Civilization|year=2012|location=White River Junction, VT|publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing|isbn=978-1603584128}}
* {{cite book|last=Harbutt|first=Juliet|title=The World Encyclopedia of Cheese|year=2006|location=London|publisher=Hermes House|isbn=9781843099604|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cctZPgAACAAJ}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Hatziminaoglou|first1=Y.|last2=Boyazoglou|first2=J.|year=2004|title=The goat in ancient civilisations: from the Fertile Crescent to the Aegean Sea|journal=Small Ruminant Research|volume=51|issue=2 |pages=123–129|doi=10.1016/j.smallrumres.2003.08.006 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921448803002682|url-access=subscription}}
* {{cite journal |ref={{harvid|Official Journal of the European Union|2017}} |journal=Official Journal of the European Union |year=2017 |title=Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:22017A0114(01)&from=EN}}
* {{cite book|last=Polychroniadou-Alichanidou|first=Anna|chapter=13: Traditional Greek Feta|pages=283–299|editor-last1=Hui|editor-first1=Y.H.|editor-last2=Meunier-Goddik|editor-first2=Lisbeth|editor-last3=Josephsen|editor-first3=Jytte|editor-last4=Nip|editor-first4=Wai-Kit|editor-last5=Stanfield|editor-first5=Peggy S.|year=2004|title=Handbook of Food and Beverage Fermentation Technology|location=New York|publisher=Marcel Dekker, Inc.|isbn=9780824751227|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PC_O7u1NPZEC}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Prandini|first1=Aldo|last2=Sigolo|first2=Samantha|last3=Piva|first3=Gianfranco|title=A comparative study of fatty acid composition and CLA concentration in commercial cheeses|journal=Journal of Food Composition and Analysis|volume=24|issue=1|pages=55–61|year=2011 |doi=10.1016/j.jfca.2010.04.004|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889157510001961|url-access=subscription}}
* {{cite book|last=Razionale|first=Vince|chapter=Homer|editor-last=Donnelly|editor-first=Catherine W.|title=The Oxford Companion to Cheese|year=2016|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=360|isbn=978-0199330881}}
{{Refend|2}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Petridou|first=Evangelia|title=Milk Ties: A Commodity Chain Approach to Greek Culture|location=London|publisher=University College London|year=2001|url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1349871/1/367568.pdf}}

==External links==
{{Cookbook|Feta Cheese}}
* [https://fetaday.com International Feta Day]

{{Cuisine of Greece}}
{{Greek cheeses}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union]]
[[Category:Greek cheeses]]
[[Category:Greek products with protected designation of origin]]
[[Category:Goat's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Mixed-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Sheep's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Brined white cheeses]]