Talk:Feta

message: The table says "see article" concerning pasteurisation, but then the article doesn't mention if it's pasteurised.  So? Maccoinnich 21:38, July 20, 2005 (UTC)
No, the true feta is not pasteurized. However, feta cheese must mature in cellars for more than 3 months to avoid the danger of disease transmission. Large Industry, though, pasteurizes the milk before using it. Apapac 14:09, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Pasteurisation

message: While it is true that the name "Feta" is protected within the EU, Denmark is still the biggest manufacturer of Feta cheese in the world, and most - if not all - of that is produced from cow milk.  The earlier revisions of the document was actually more correct than the later versions. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.95.29.95 (talk • contribs) 18:13, 3 November 2005 
:It is actually inaccurate to say "goat and sheep only," since there is in fact quite a bit of cow's milk feta available.  I've changed the page to reflect this. Basil Fawlty 02:07, 4 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: It depends partly on what you mean by "feta".  According to the EU definition of feta, there is no such thing as cow's milk feta, just like there is no such thing as non-French champagne.  According to common usage, of course, both exist. --Delirium 01:46, 9 February 2006 (UTC)

text: Actually Denmark is not the biggest manufacturer. Greece produces about 115000 tons per year, Danemark about 27640, France about 8000-20000 tons and Germany about 20000 and 40000 tons. Also Greece consumes 85% of the EU feta production. These are documented in the  of Justice of the European Communities press release 92/05, of October 25, 2005 George Schizas, 21:06, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

text: Yes, anon IP, I am sure we were all in danger of forgetting Greece's historical background. Thank you for remind us - wow, that was a very close call!  Duh. HammerFilmFan (talk) 13:04, 28 March 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Why not cow milk 

message: (feta entry as at 27 June 2008)
The stated meaning of the word 'feta' as 'likely referring to the method of cutting the cheese in thin slices to serve on a plate' does not ring true to me.  I don't think it is customary to slice cheese before eating in that part of the world, especially a crumbly cheese like feta.  I think a more likely origin is that the slicing referred to is the slicing of the curd to release the whey, as suggested in www.american.edu/projects/mandala/TED/feta.htm.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Alistersharp (talk • contribs) 06:46, 27 June 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Cheese in greece has it's  history but it seems that many of the greek cheese types takes their name from foreign words.
A possible origin of the word "feta" is the italian "offetta" (l'offetta > la fetta) of the latin "offa" which means "a piece or a part of something edible" (slice of bread, cheese) leaving the origin and the ingridients of the cheese solely to the cheese and it's hisdtory, but saying a lot for the way it used to be served. Sources: "The great lexicon of modern Greek language - A. Georgopapadakos" & "Lexicon of modern Greek language - G. Babiniotis"  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Vas180 (talk • contribs) 17:25, 31 August 2017 (UTC)

text: That article is not a reliable source.  Not only is it self-published, it is full of nonsense, like brine being introduced as a preservative at the end of the 19th century. --macrakis (talk) 23:11, 17 November 2008 (UTC)
replies: text:  Nonetheless, a citation is needed for the claim that the etymology has something to do with thin slices.  It's not possible to slice feta thinly!  Dricherby (talk) 19:56, 4 August 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed that you can't cut feta into thin slices.  However, the Italian fetta 'slice' etymology is widely accepted; I have included a link to the M-W dictionary.  I don't have Greek dictionaries with me right now, but I believe Babiniotis and Andriotis agree. --macrakis (talk) 01:37, 5 August 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Origin of the word 'feta'

message: The caption to the photo of Greek salad says that feta is "... usually sliced in small cubes or crumbled."  I've added a  tag to that since every Greek salad I ever ate in Greece — and I lived there fore two years — was served with a slab of feta on top, which the diners would break up to eat.  I've never heard of feta being served cubed in a Greek salad in Greece. Dricherby (talk) 23:11, 3 August 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes, you're 100% correct. In fact it's quite the opposite, Feta in Greece is almost never sliced in small cubes or crumbled. I've only seen this type of preparation outside Greece. Miskin (talk) 19:00, 3 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  "usually sliced in small cubes or crumbled"? 

message: Feta, Sirene, Telemea, Beyaz peynir - all these names refer to the same kind of white, salted cheese. Moreover, the countries in which this type of white cheese is traditional are part of one and the same cultural space. Of course there are slight variations between, say, Serbian sir and Bulgarian sirene, but variations are common to planty of other east-european dishes / types of food (for instance there are slight variations between northern-romanian sarma, southern-romanian sarma, serbian sarma, macedonian sarma and greek sarma, yet I doubt tere would be Romanians, Serbs, Macedonians and Greeks to argue that the sarma one can eat in Turkey or in Lebanon isn't really sarma). Besides, the information on the "making of" of this dairy product one can find in the pages Feta, Sirene, Telemea and Beyaz peynir is more or less redundant and the differences between these articles consist mainly in stressing on some slight variations or in "it can be eaten with eggs, salads..." and so on. That's why I think we should merge Feta, Sirene, Telemea and Beyaz peynir. Burghiu (talk) 13:36, 17 March 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed that they are different 'brands'.  But there needs to be a master article about the generic topic, just as there is a general cola article as well as articles on Coca-cola and Pepsi-Cola.  The common material goes in the master article; material specific to each 'brand' article (if there is enough to justify a separate article). --Macrakis (talk) 16:39, 16 June 2011 (UTC)

text: (if the merger happens,then we should consider for merging other types of cheese too,for example roquefort with stilton and blue cheese)  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Krem12 (talk • contribs) 14:50, 16 June 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: There is in fact an article blue cheese that covers all blue cheeses.  --Macrakis (talk) 16:39, 16 June 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Feta, Sirene, Telemea, Beyaz peynir - Merger Proposal 

message: that could make a big difference in health  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.176.108.8 (talk) 22:50, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  saturated fat not stated in nutrition info 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Once again the issue of the origin of Feta has come up. Anyone want to comment on the suitability of changing the article to reflect Turkish origins rather than Greek? Meters (talk) 18:39, 21 November 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't see any justification for teh wholesale replacement of Greek with Turkish. The article does a good job of explaining that this is a legal term and that there are similar cheeses produced elsewhere which do not have the right to use the name "feta". We'll never know where the first feta was produced. Meters (talk) 18:43, 21 November 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Origin 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Please could you add the Turkish name as well because the beyaz peynir article was deleted it is also in the Turkish cuisine catagories
:Please see discussion above (Turkish white cheese / beyaz peynir) where this has been discussed. Beyaz Peynir means white cheese, not specifically Feta, and if you read the second paragraph of the artricle, you will learn that this is mentioned: "However, similar white-brined cheeses (often called "white cheese" in various languages) are found in the Eastern Mediterranean and around the Black Sea". Thanks IdreamofJeanie (talk) 19:29, 18 January 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Turkish name 

message: "Similar brined white cheeses produced in Europe are often made partly or wholly of cow's milk, and they are also sometimes called feta." 
Not true. Feta is a Greek PDO cheese, you cannot call cow's milk cheese made in e. g. Denmark "Feta cheese", it's forbidden by EU regulations. In European supermarkets, Feta is 100% from Greece and 100%-80% sheep. 
Never cow's milk. You can call such a cheese "Greek style cheese", "white cheese", but *not* Feta. 
It's like Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Graviera Kritis, etc. All of them PDO cheeses.151.42.70.30 (talk) 18:03, 3 May 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: What they are legally called, what the labels on them say, and what people call them in casual or uninformed conversation are three different things. You addressed the first, but the assertion is vague enough that it could mean the second or the third. In that case, whether or not the assertion is true, it isn't inconsistent with what you've said. Largoplazo (talk) 19:27, 3 May 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Feta cheese Greece / rest of EU 

message: If appropriate references can be found, it would be helpful to add a section mentioning how long feta cheese can be kept under refrigeration before spoiling, and also whether it can be frozen and later thawed without significant loss of texture or taste. Also are there any other known methods of preservation? 72.208.150.248 (talk) 17:51, 15 October 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: It's a good thought, but it might not comply with WP:NOTGUIDE, the principle that Wikipedia isn't a user or consumer guide. If a particular preservation method or an impressive durability were especially characteristic of a particular food, then it might be noteworthy, but that's separate from a set of unremarkable details. Largoplazo (talk) 19:14, 15 October 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Preservation 

message: My problem is with this phrase: "white cheeses produced in Europe are often made partly or wholly of cow's milk, and they are sometimes also called feta". They're not. No industry does this in Europe; no supermarket sells white cheese not produced in some particular regions of Greece as "feta"; etc. because this is forbidden by EU law, similarly to Parmigiano. In Europe, you cannot call a cheese "Parmesan". It is either Parmigiano or "yellow hard cheese". Either "feta" or "brined white cheese". I know it is difficult to understand for users of North American origin (or generally outside of Europe), but this is how it is in the EU. Some goes for many other agricultural products. Nobody in Europe calls fake Parmigiano "Parmesan", no supermarket sells fake Parmigiano as "Parmesan", nobody can produce some hard cheese and call it "Parmesan".151.42.104.52 (talk) 19:36, 31 January 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: If I point to a cheese and say, "Oh, I need some feta", and pick it up and put it in my basket, and it's a white brined cheese that can't be legally called "feta" for trade purposes, that doesn't alter the fact that I have just called it "feta". And I bet you that people casually call those cheese feta all the time. What people call something and what people can legally call it for trade purposes are two related but not identical things. Largoplazo (talk) 19:43, 31 January 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: I tend to agree that what something is "called" vs what it is legally designated are two different things. The article is clear about the controlled designation. I have simply remnoved the "In Europe" from the lead. It is certainly true that some feta-style cheeses made outside of Europe are  legally called "feta". I have some in my fridge. Meters (talk) 19:48, 31 January 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: "It is certainly true that some feta-style cheeses made outside of Europe are legally called "feta"", yes, but certainly not legal in Europe. Same goes for Parmigiano (Parmesan), for instance. And no, actually not a lot of people here refer to Feta imitations (or, again, Parmesan imitations) as "feta". Anyway, my 2 proofs (and sources, after all, since Wikipedia is all about sources, you know this better than me since you're experienced users!) are (1) law and (2) what each package says (feta, white cheese, etc.). What some people could, casually, call "feta" is not of any importance here, since it cannot be sourced in any way (and, thus, challenged and removed).151.42.104.52 (talk) 19:58, 31 January 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: And, as I clearly stated above, I removed the "In Europe" from that line, so there should no longer any problem with what we state in the lead. The talkpage is WP:NOTAFORUM. Parmesan is irrelevant to this page. If you have any other suggestions please make them, otherwise we're done. Meters (talk) 20:09, 31 January 2018 (UTC)

text: You seem determined to keep repeating the nature of the legal status of the word "feta" without regard to the facts that (a) Meters and I already understand and acknowledge it; (b) you haven't said anything I didn't already know before this discussion; and (c) the current text in the article is completely consistent with what you are telling us and, in the second paragraph, it says the same thing. Largoplazo (talk) 20:42, 31 January 2018 (UTC)
thread_title: Designation

message: Article currently reads "Feta is lower in fat and calories than aged cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano or Cheddar weight-for-weight because it has higher water content." A couple of problems with this. What is the point of this comparison? Of course it will be lower in calories and fat weight-for-weight since it is soaked in brine. But it is actually higher in fat per calorie than those cheeses, which is a more interesting statistic. Another problem: there is no standard for cheddar.... --Macrakis (talk) 17:08, 29 January 2020 (UTC)
thread_title: Puffery

message: The way the EU regional cheese thing work hurts my head as an American. In America feta is a generic term for a greek kind of cheese usually not made in Greece. I think the idea that a cheese maker can step over the border and have their cheese stop being feta go not work with American cheese understanding, so there’s a real disconnect. This article obviously isn’t about how “feta” is used in English but about how the term is used in Europe, which excludes the majority of feta eating English speakers. 97.113.57.76 (talk) 09:09, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: You know, things arent that simple- "I dont care" doesnt mean "It doesnt matter". This article is about feta. Feta is from Europe. Some fetas from the Americas may have in reality no connection to the original cheese, so let's not simplify this article just because it looks irrelevant from your pov. How would you like to cut short an article about a random town in the US just because nobody else cares about it? Thank you and I hope you will break your bubble-just because it isnt in America doesnt mean its less important 🧚🧚😍😍😘😘 2A02:2F0C:5703:1700:B905:3FF7:F308:8FFF (talk) 19:23, 23 November 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  USA usage