You may have heard of feta in most Mediterranean recipes. If you enjoy rare and distinct flavors, you’ll be pleased to learn about this unique Greek culinary discovery.
Feta cheese is a curd cheese that is made from a combination of sheep and goat milk, which gives it a unique salty and tangy flavor. Given its rich and creamy texture, you can use feta cheese in various ways, from appetizers to mains and desserts!
I am sure that you are here after wondering what feta cheese tastes like. Moreover, if feta cheese sounds interesting to you, you wouldn’t want to miss this article as we talk in detail about its flavor profile, texture, uses, and much more!
Is Feta Cheese Taste Good?
Feta cheese tastes so good and is well-known for two reasons: its flavor and texture. If I had to describe its taste, feta is incredibly flavorful for several reasons. Its notable characteristics are that the cheese is rich, creamy, salty, and sour with a citrusy and acidic aftertaste.
Despite its unique flavor profile, most people recognize feta as one of the best types of cheese around the world. What makes the taste so good is that it is made from a mix of sheep and goat milk. The kind of milk you use contributes to the cheese’s fatty and rich taste.
On the whole, this tangy and salty cheese pairs well with most ingredients. It’s a must-have on cheese platters! You can also use it to make delicious savory treats to impress your guests at the next party. Interestingly, feta’s tanginess also helps to cut through the sweetness of fruits and desserts! Simply put, this curd cheese has layers of hidden flavors that are sure to amaze you!
What Does Feta Cheese Taste Like?
Feta cheese takes the crown as one of the best Greek cheese varieties, all thanks to its distinct flavor profile. Its flavors vary from mild to sharp; many describe it as having a “funky” and sour taste with a pinch of saltiness in between! You may even find people likening the taste and aroma of feta to vomit and feet. Considering feta cheese’s bold flavor, we agree that it tastes strong enough to turn people away!
Since feta is an acquired taste, once you get used to its acidic and sharp flavor, you’ll keep returning for more. If you have had it a couple of times, the bold flavor won’t bother you.
Feta cheese is available in multiple styles; you’ll find both creamy and crumbly feta. Compared to other strong-flavored types of cheese, feta is still milder. Due to its salty and tangy flavor profile, it’s perfect for pairing with veggies and fruits that have a sweet taste.
Texture-wise, feta is smooth and creamy but with a crumbly nature; you may even notice some holes in its structure. Once the cheese ages, it becomes firm and hard.
If you’ve ever tried feta from different places, you may have noticed some flavor differences. The taste of feta cheese may vary depending on the cheese’s fat and moisture levels. Feta made with sheep’s milk tends to have an intensely rich and fatty flavor. If you’d like a milder flavor, goat’s milk feta is the one to opt for!
Generally, the feta you find in the US has a slightly sour bite. In contrast, the traditional feta, made in Greece, is likely to taste saltier. Moreover, the longer you brine the cheese, the stronger and peppery its flavor is.
Does Feta Cheese Taste Like Goat?
You’ll find several varieties of feta, depending on their brining process and the type of milk used in producing the cheese. Typically, feta comes from a combination of sheep and goat milk. But you can also use goat milk alone to get a full-flavored block of feta cheese. This is because goats tend to pass more flavors in their milk than other dairy animals.
Many people mistakenly believe feta is a type of goat cheese. However, that’s not the case. This assumption may be due to the similar milk sources used to produce the two varieties of cheese.
However, both feta and goat cheese differ in their composition and taste. Goat’s cheese is more closely associated with cream cheese than feta, as it’s much saltier. Moreover, goat’s cheese develops a richer flavor once it ages.
Does Feta Cheese Taste Like Vomit?
As a cheese-lover, it would be blasphemous to associate the taste of feta with vomit. But, it has a tangy and rancid flavor profile that many find smelling like baby vomit. This strange taste and aroma come from a fatty acid named butyric acid, which adds a pungent flavor to various types of cheese, including feta.
Overall, this odor and taste can result from various factors, such as the type of milk used, aging duration, curing, and more.
Usually, an intense, off-putting smell, such as that of feet, socks, or mulched grass clippings, may indicate the presence of bacteria E. faecium.
What Does Feta Cheese Taste Like On Pizza?
If you like experimenting with pizza toppings, you might enjoy the burst of flavors that come with feta. Feta cheese on pizza tastes rich and deep.
What makes it so good is the saltiness, which balances the flavor and texture of the other pizza toppings, like meat and vegetables. You can also use it to create a Mediterranean-inspired pizza with olives, spinach, artichokes, and more.
However, feta doesn’t melt like mozzarella. So if you’d like a melted texture on your pizza, you can mix mozzarella with feta for a stringy yet crumbly feel.
Does Feta Cheese Taste Like Mozzarella?
Although from the same category of fresh cheese, mozzarella and feta don’t taste similar. The distinct flavor and texture are primarily due to the difference in country of origin, type of milk used, and the process of creating the two types of cheese.
On the one hand, we have mozzarella, a semi-soft cheese with a smooth texture; on the other is feta, a soft but crumbly cheese. Moreover, taste-wise, mozzarella is a salty cheese but isn’t as bold-flavored as feta.
Does Feta Cheese Taste Like Blue Cheese?
Feta and blue cheese are two varieties you must try at least once in your lifetime. Both are known for their bold and tangy flavors. Feta cheese is brined with salt water, which gives it a salty and acidic bite. Blue cheese, on the other hand, is best known for its mold spores, which give the cheese a tangy kick.
However, besides this, you may notice some differences because of their different production processes.
Overall, you may substitute blue cheese for feta, but there may be some flavor and texture differences. But blue cheese may have a milder taste, as feta is saltier.
Does Feta Cheese Taste Sour?
Unlike other varieties of cheese, feta isn’t sour but rather acidic and tangy. Some even describe it as having a lemony-citrusy kick. The strong bite is what gives it its unique personality. The strong taste and aroma don’t appeal to everyone. Still, once acquired, they can quickly add feta to your list of favorites.
All in all, this Greek-Mediterranean delicacy is a rich-flavored cheese with tangy and salty notes, which come from the use of sheep’s milk. The longer it matures, the more peppery it tastes.
So, to answer the question, feta doesn’t have a sour flavor! Instead, it tastes tangy and delicious. The acidic notes go perfectly well in salads, soups, sandwiches, and more.
Why Does Feta Cheese Taste So Bad?
You’ll find polarizing views about the taste of Feta Cheese. Although immensely popular, it’s a type of cheese that most people either love or hate! For some, the bold aroma and sour flavor can be too much to handle and they treat it as a bad cheese in terms of taste.
This strong unpleasant flavor is usually due to the presence of lactic, acetic, and citric acids in the feta. Moreover, the salty and sour taste comes from the high salt levels of the cheese. Additionally, the way feta is produced also contributes to its bitter aftertaste.
All in all, the smell of feta cheese may be nauseating to some, but its unique flavor and aroma are what make feta cheese so popular around the world.
What is Feta Cheese Similar To?
The beauty of feta is its versatility; you can add it to several recipes. But when it’s unavailable, knowing tweaks and twists can come in handy! So let’s look at some popular varieties of cheese that you can swap around when feta isn’t available.
- The Persian feta is subtler in taste and texture but goes over salad just as well as regular feta!
- When you’re looking for cheesy goodness and don’t mind a funky and tangy flavor, goat’s cheese is an excellent replacement!
- Cottage Cheese may be less salty and milder in flavor but can come in handy when you’re looking to crumble cheese over your meal.
- Labneh is a creamy, yogurt-based cheese that adds delicious sour notes to anything you add it to.
- Shaved or grated parmesan has a very similar flavor profile to feta but, flavor-wise has a burst of cheesiness that’s neither salty nor sour.
- Halloumi cheese has a salty kick and crumbly texture similar to feta and can provide a close-enough feel.
Conclusion
The taste of feta cheese isn’t one to impress everyone, yet, it’s the same intense flavor that makes it stand apart from the other varieties!
Feta cheese is an acquired taste, and those who enjoy funky and tart flavors will like this variety of cheese. Moreover, since it pairs well with other ingredients, you can use it in many different ways. Not just that, it’s packed with essential nutrients like calcium and vitamin B, which makes it both healthy and wholesome!
If you’re in the mood for some adventure, add feta to your salad, pasta, soup, sandwich, or even to your favorite fruits for a creative yet hearty meal.
