Feta cheese is a soft, white, and brined cheese that has been a staple in Greek cuisine for centuries. Originating from Greece, it is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product, meaning that only cheese made in specific regions of Greece, using milk from sheep and goats raised on local grass, can be called "feta." This cheese is used in a variety of dishes, from appetizers to desserts, and is known for its tangy, sharp flavor and creamy texture. While feta cheese offers several nutritional benefits, it's important to consider its potential drawbacks, such as high sodium content, before incorporating it into your diet.
What is Feta Cheese?
Feta cheese is a Greek cheese traditionally made from sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk, where goat's milk constitutes no more than 30% of the mixture. The flavor of feta is tangy and sharp when it’s made with sheep’s milk, but milder when combined with goat’s milk. Feta is produced in blocks and is firm to the touch, yet it crumbles when cut and has a creamy texture.
How Feta Cheese Is Made
Genuine Greek feta is made from sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk. The milk used to make the cheese is usually pasteurized, but it can also be raw. After pasteurization, lactic acid starter cultures are added to separate the whey from the curds, which are made of the protein casein. Then, rennet is added to set the casein.
Once this process is complete, the curd is shaped by draining the whey and placing the curd in molds for 24 hours. Once the curd is firm, it is cut into cubes, salted, and placed in wooden barrels or metal containers for up to three days. Next, the blocks of cheese are placed in a salted solution and refrigerated for two months. Finally, when the cheese is ready to be distributed to consumers, it is packaged in this solution (called brine) to preserve freshness.
Feta Cheese Nutritional Value
Feta cheese is a low-calorie, low-fat cheese. It is also a good source of B vitamins, calcium, and phosphorus. One ounce (28 grams) of feta cheese provides:
Read also: The Keto Guide to Feta Cheese
- Calories: 74-76
- Fat: 6-6.5 grams
- Protein: 4-5.3 grams
- Carbs: 1.1-1.56 grams
- Sugar: 0.45 gram
- Sodium: 312 mg
- Riboflavin: 14% of the RDI
- Calcium: 14% of the RDI
- Sodium: 13% of the RDI
- Phosphorus: 9% of the RDI
- Vitamin B12: 8% of the RDI
- Selenium: 6% of the RDI
- Vitamin B6: 6% of the RDI
- Zinc: 5% of the RDI
It also has decent amounts of vitamins A and K, folate, pantothenic acid, iron, and magnesium.
Compared to aged cheeses like cheddar or parmesan, feta is lower in fat and calories. It also contains more calcium and B vitamins than other cheeses like mozzarella, ricotta, cottage cheese, or goat cheese.
Potential Health Benefits of Feta Cheese
When eaten in moderation, feta has the following potential health benefits:
Bone Health
Feta cheese is a good source of calcium, phosphorus, and protein, all of which have been proven to promote bone health. Calcium and protein help maintain bone density and prevent osteoporosis, while phosphorus is an important component of bone. Each serving of feta provides almost twice as much calcium as phosphorus, a proportion shown to have positive effects on bone health. Furthermore, milk from sheep and goats contains more calcium and phosphorus than cow’s milk.
Gut Health
Feta cheese contains Lactobacillus plantarum, which accounts for about 48% of its bacteria. These bacteria can help promote immune system and gut health by protecting the intestinal tract from disease-causing bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella. Furthermore, they seem to increase the production of compounds that inhibit the inflammatory response, thus providing anti-inflammatory benefits.
Read also: Delicious Feta Dishes
Weight Management
Feta has a fatty acid known as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Experimental studies have shown that CLA can help reduce body fat and improve body composition in the long term. Cheeses made with sheep’s milk have a higher CLA concentration than cheeses made with milk from cows or goats.
Lowers Risk of Diabetes
Protein and calcium, both plentiful in feta, can help control your body’s blood sugar levels, lowering your chances of getting diabetes and helping to manage existing blood sugar-related conditions.
Potential Problems with Feta Cheese
Feta cheese is a good source of nutrients. However, due to how it's made and the types of milk used, it could have some drawbacks.
High Sodium Content
During the cheese-making process, salt is added to the curd. Additionally, during storage, the cheese block needs to be submerged in a brine of up to 7% salt. The finished product is a cheese that’s high in sodium. If you’re sensitive to salt, one simple way to reduce the salt content of this cheese is to rinse the cheese with water before eating it. Excessive sodium in your diet has been shown to contribute to high blood pressure, which doctors link to ongoing health issues like kidney disease, stroke, and heart disease.
Lactose Content
Unripened cheeses tend to be higher in lactose than aged cheeses. Since feta cheese is an unripened cheese, it has a higher lactose content than some other cheeses. People who are allergic or intolerant to lactose should avoid eating unripened cheeses, including feta.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Pregnancy Concerns
Soft, unpasteurized cheeses like feta can contain Listeria monocytogenes, a type of bacteria that can cause mild flu-like symptoms in adults. Listeria may harm a fetus, so pregnant women are advised to avoid unpasteurized cheeses. Pregnant women should not consume unpasteurized feta.
Medication Interactions
Feta also contains tyramine, a naturally occurring substance in aged and fermented foods. Experts link tyramine with blood pressure spikes, heart palpitations, and severe headaches in people taking monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) drugs-for example, those prescribed for depression or Parkinson’s disease.
Allergy
It's possible to be allergic to sheep's milk, from which feta cheese is made. But you're likely allergic to other mammals' milk as well, such as cow's milk.
Feta Cheese vs. Other Cheeses
Feta Cheese vs. Goat Cheese
Feta and goat cheese differ in several key ways. Both are high in fat, but goat cheese often has a bit more fat per ounce. Feta has a salty, tangy flavor from the brine it ages in, while goat cheese, which doesn’t age, has an earthy taste that reflects the goats' grass-based diet. Feta is typically made from sheep's milk or a mix of sheep's and goat's milk, while goat cheese is made only from goat's milk. Feta is aged in brine, making it firm and crumbly with a slight graininess, while goat cheese is smooth and spreadable at room temperature but turns crumbly when chilled.
Feta Cheese vs. Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is a creamy color with a curd-based, soft texture and clean, cultured milk flavor. It usually has less fat than other cheeses like feta, and you can also buy low-fat versions.
Types of Feta Cheese
Feta cheese originates in Greece, but there are types from other parts of the world. Here's a closer look at each kind:
- Greek feta: comes from the Balkan Peninsula, specifically Greece, an area where sheep and goats flourish.
- French feta: a milder variety, originates in southwest France and uses milk from specific ewe (female sheep) breeds.
- Bulgarian feta: is less salty and blends sheep's, goat's, and cow's milk.
- Wisconsin feta: only uses cow milk for a lighter, less gamy or tart taste and a crumblier texture.
How to Eat Feta Cheese
Feta can be a great addition to your meals because of its flavor and texture. In fact, Greeks traditionally keep it on the table for people to freely add during meals. Here are a few fun ways to add this type of cheese to your food:
- On bread: Top with feta, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- On salads: Sprinkle crumbled feta on your salads.
- Grilled: Grill feta, drizzle it with olive oil, and season with pepper.
- With fruits: Create dishes such as a salad of watermelon, feta, and mint.
- On tacos: Sprinkle crumbled feta on tacos.
- On pizza: Add crumbled feta and ingredients like tomatoes, peppers, and olives.
- In omelets: Combine eggs with spinach, tomatoes, and feta.
- On pasta: Use it along with artichokes, tomatoes, olives, capers, and parsley.
- On potatoes: Try it on baked or mashed potatoes.
Feta's natural saltiness pairs well with sweet vegetables such as beets, tomatoes, and fennel.
Feta Cheese Recipes
- Feta and Watermelon Salad: Cube watermelon and crumble the feta in coarse pieces. Mix in a bowl with vinegar and oil, adding nuts, mint leaves, and seasoning to taste.
- Baked Feta: Layer sliced onion, chopped cherry tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese in an oven-safe bowl. Season with plenty of extra virgin olive oil, oregano, and a drizzle of honey. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F (or air fryer) for 25-30 minutes until the feta is soft. Serve with crusty sourdough bread or toasted pita, or use as a pasta sauce.
- Healthy feta recipes: Roasted vegetable & feta tostada, Lemony three bean & feta salad, Chilli-stuffed peppers with feta topping, Puy lentil, spiced roast carrot & feta salad, Kale tabbouleh, Grilled peach, chicken & feta salad, Lentil kofta with orzo & feta.
How to Store Feta Cheese
Feta cheese can dry out quickly, even in the fridge. To keep it fresh for more than a week, it’s best to store it in brine (salted water) or salted milk.
Feta Cheese and Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet or “keto” diet is a low-carbohydrate and high-fat eating plan. The ratio is usually 55% to 60% fat, 30% to 35% protein, and 5% to 10% carbs. You can eat any type of cheese on the keto diet, including feta, as long as it meets these guidelines.
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