Feta
It is said that cheese-making is as old as humanity, as it emerged in tandem with the taming of domestic animals possibly 8,000 years ago. There are many references in history to cheese, and the Feta as we know it – a salty, crumbly white cheese in brine made from sheep’s milk – may date back to that time.
In ancient Greece, the earliest records of cheese-making can be found in Homer’s “Odyssey” where the cyclops named Polyphemus was the first to prepare the ancestor of our present-day Feta cheese. According to the myth, he used to transport the milk from his sheep in skin bags made of animal stomachs. One day he realized, to his great surprise, that the milk had curdled and taken solid form – and actually tasted good. When that myth turned into the reality of making cheese would be impossible to verify, but the production of Feta has been known since that time.
Indeed, during the Archaic time period, records pointed to ancient Greeks producing a type of Feta cheese using sheep’s milk, using Polyphemus’ technique, although at that time it was simply called cheese.
Today Feta is still Greece’s most popular cheese, and it is enjoyed around the world. Unfortunately, most Feta that is mass produced is made from cow’s milk, which has very little flavor and quite a different texture. True Feta should be produced from sheep’s milk, as it was in ancient times. The European Union (EU) legislation dictates that Feta must contain 70% sheep milk to maintain its Protected Designation of Origin classification. At Verde Oveja we believe that 100% sheep milk is required to produce the best true form of Feta cheese.
Feta cheese characteristics:
- Semi soft cheese with a texture that can vary from soft to firm to crumbly depending on the milking season of the sheep and the length of aging.
- Aged for as little as 30 days or as long as 90 days.
- 100% Sheep milk.
- Aged in it own brine solution.
Tips for home preservation:
Keep in the supplied brine in an airtight container in your refrigerator in a humid location. Your Feta cheese will keep for 3-6 weeks in the provided brine solution. If the brine becomes cloudy then replace the brine with fresh 5-8% brine solution. This cheese develops a lovely strong, sharp flavor as it ages.
Serving tips:
Slice and serve with olives and crackers for an appetizer, crumble into salads as a topper, sprinkle on pizza, make phyllo turnovers, or a super tasty spanakopita. The options are endless for this versatile tasty treat!
August 19, 2021 @ 8:31 pm
Good evening,
I received news about you through L&S Artisan meats and receive their meats delivered via drop off at our conjunto residence in Otavalo on Fridays on their way to Quito.
We love Lamb cheese and would like to place an order, also would like to pay via transfer through Banco Pichincha.
Further we, would appreciate it if you would give my order to Lindsay to drop it off at our Otavalo residence on their Quito tour.
Please, advise if/how this is possible.
Thank you very much,
saludos Veronika Strubel
August 20, 2021 @ 2:36 pm
Hello Veronika,
Thank you for contacting us. We can definitely accept your order, and you can pay using Bank Transfer, and we can have your order shipped with L&S Artisan Meats to your Otavalo residence. You can order online and use our system to create your account including your payment and shipping/delivery preferences at https://laverdeoveja.com/shop. Or, if you are feeling like you need assistance you can subscribe to our newsletter and order by email. To subscribe just click on this link or copy it into your browser, fill out your information and we’ll send your a confirmation and our weekly newsletter.
https://laverdeoveja.com/subscribe/
When you receive the newsletter, you can just select “Reply” and tell us your order. We’ll send you the bank transfer information to your email, confirm your order and payment, and let you know the day it will be delivered by L&S.
I hope that helps, but if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at info@laverdeoveja.com
Thank you again.