Feta, a major component of Greek salad, is different from chevre although both are made from goat milk.
Despite the fact that both feta and chevre cheeses use goats' milk as a key ingredient, they are actually quite different. In fact, feta, used widely in Greek cuisine, has several substantial differences with chevre, which originated in France, in terms of ingredients, taste and texture.
Goat Milk Cheese
One of the first animals domesticated was the goat; goat milk was first made into cheese by nomadic hunters sometime around 7000 A.D. The fat globules of goat milk are smaller than those of cow milk, which makes goat milk more easily digestible, and therefore ideal for children and the elderly. Today, there are more than 120 different varieties of goat cheese, each with a distinctive flavor that is dependent upon such factors as breed of goat, recipe, maturation time and technique.
Chevre
Chevre is a type of goat cheese that originated in France, but the name has since come to be a generic description for any cheese made entirely from goat milk. Chevre is available in a numerous varieties, ranging from a soft style that can be easily spread on a cracker or bread to a slightly harder, easily crumbled type. Goat cheese does not need to age very long, and is ready to be eaten soon after being formed; there are, however, varieties of chevre that may take three months or longer to mature.
Feta
Feta's name comes from the Greek word "feta" which, loosely translated, means a small slice or morsel. Feta cheese has long been popular in Mediterranean countries such as Greece, where it's used in a variety of Greek dishes such as Greek salad and spanakopita -- paper-thin pastry filled with spinach and feta. In order for a cheese to earn the designation of feta, regulations stipulate that the cheese be aged for a minimum of three months and contain a ratio of no less than 70 percent sheep milk, with the remainder being goat milk.
Differences
The primary difference between chevre and feta is that chevre consists entirely of goat milk, while feta has a ratio of 30 percent goat milk and 70 percent sheep milk. Although feta can look similar to a crumbled chevre, the tastes are markedly different. Feta is predominantly salty, while goat cheese is generally sweeter, and will often have a softer texture. Maturation times also differ, with feta needing at least three months to mature while chevre is ready to eat almost immediately after being made.
Tags: goat milk, three months, after being, from goat, from goat milk, goat cheese, goat milk
