The tangy and salty flavor in feta cheese comes with a slightly grainy and crumbly texture. Depending on age and region, it can range from mild to sharp.
Made from sheep’s milk or a blend of sheep and goat milk, feta cheese is an excellent pair for snacks and meals. Generally used as a table cheese, it is perfect in salads, pastries and can also be melted on a sandwich.
What to eat with feta cheese? Feta cheese pairs well with olive or pita bread with hint of mint herb topping. This type of cheese is widely served in Eastern Mediterranean and Greek cuisine.
From grilled meats to pasta, salads and sauces, feta cheese offers a balance of rich and complex tastes when added to a dish.
Whether you are serving cubed, sliced or crumbled feta cheese in a salad, with fruits, or bread, this article examines what to eat with feta cheese. Answered below are frequently asked questions that will help you discover the best flavors, cheeses, and foods to pair with feta cheese.
What does feta go well with?
Feta is very versatile, making it easily pair with ingredients and incorporate well in plenty of dishes including vegetables, fruits, nuts, meat, herbs, bread, wine, and many more.
- Vegetables: red bell peppers, eggplant, garlic, black or Greek olives, red onions, spinach, zucchini, potatoes
- Fruits: figs, grapes, lemon, watermelon, cranberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew
- Nuts: walnuts, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, almonds
- Meats: lamb, shrimp, grilled steak, chicken, salmon
- Herbs: dill, mint, sage, thyme, rosemary, chives, parsley
- Legume: chickpeas, cannelloni beans
- Grains: white rice, basmati rice
- Bread: olive bread, pita, French bread, sourdough, crostini
- Alcohol: Beaujolais, wheat beer, unoaked Chardonnay, Ouzo, Retsina
- Pasta: orzo, penne, cavatappi, bow tie
Other than these ingredient to make a lunch or dinner, simple snacks pair well with feta cheese. Various snacks are perfect with feta cheese, such as grilled sandwiches and vegetable salads.
Feta cheese can also be used to make phyllo turnovers and rich dipping sauces that go perfectly with chips.
What cheese goes well with feta cheese?
Feta cheese pairs beautifully with vegetables and fruits as well as other kinds of cheese. It has the tendency to not be overpowering and contains flavors that mingle well with the characteristics of other cheese types.
However, it is important to not that you do not want to select cheeses with overwhelming pungent tastes or aromas. The cheeses that go well with feta are not very complex and relatively mild in nature.
The best cheese options that taste good with feta cheese:
- ricotta
- cheddar
- jack
- parmesan
- mozzarella
- cream cheese
What flavor goes well with feta cheese?
Feta is very versatile when it comes to taste. It is perfect for simple dishes and creative dishes that aim to make a statement in front of guests.
The flavors that go well with feta cheese include sour, bitter, savory, and earthy.
- Sour: Drizzling some balsamic vinegar on dishes that have feta such as pizza, flatbreads, and salads, does the trick. It enriches the flavor by adding to the already existing sour tang of the cheese. A little fresh lemon can also be added to noodles, salads, and fish dishes that incorporate feta cheese.
- Bitter: Creamy and tangy feta can be paired with bitter ingredients such as peppery arugula and tossed in a salad. Consuming a salad that has other bitter ingredients makes the dish way better.
- Savory: This requires only one ingredient, garlic! The garlic can be added directly to whipped Feta or marinated in olive oil for an enhanced complexity.
- Earthy: Feta is best with herbs such as basil, dill, lavender, mint, thyme, and rosemary. Adding fresh herbs to olive oil, then later letting the feta marinate in it completes the food pairing.
With these flavors in mind, here is chef’s favorite flavor combinations to execute with feta cheese.
- feta cheese + chicken + mint
- feta cheese + roasted bell peppers + mint
- feta cheese + salad greens + mint
What is good to eat with feta cheese?
Feta cheese can be eaten with both cooked and uncooked meals such as fruits, salads, or melted sandwiches. It is delicious, making it an excellent complement for neutral or basic dishes alike.
- Serve with crackers, naan, or crostini, it is best to bake the feta cheese. Due to the heat, it softens the texture and makes it slightly gooey.
- Toss over salads or crackers, marinate feta to add on extra flavor including spicy, cream, salty, and herby. Marinating helps feta to give a creamy but still crumbly texture to make a perfect topping.
- Whether it is for veggies, flatbread, or breadsticks, feta cheese can become a dipping sauce by simply whipping with lemon and olive oil. It will achieve a creamy and velvety texture that makes it easy to dip or spread.
- For main dish, consider warming feta to soften the texture to pair with any ingredient.
- On top of pizza or pasta, garnish with feta crumbles to add a tangy touch. It is the easiest way to elevate the flavor. Sometimes it is best to garnish with the feta just before serving to give a fresh bite of flavor to the dish.
Eat With Feta: Conclusion
Versatile and easy to pair with other ingredient, feta complements perfectly with fruits, bread, meat, vegetables, and more. It is a great option to break from the common cheese types as it floods a dish with taste and excitement!
When mixed with other food, it brings out the rich earthy flavors of the ingredient perfectly. It does not overshadow the taste of a meal, but compliments a dish and allows the unique taste to be felt in every bite.
It can be served fresh in cubes and crumbles, or grilled or baked to meet your preference.
The feta cheese taste goes best with olive bread or pita bread in foods that resemble Mediterranean and Greek cuisine. In most cuisine, this cheese can bring out a sour, bitter, savory, and hearty component without overpowering the tangy cheese taste.
Ricotta cheese is the best cheese to blend well with feta, but can work well with mozzarella, cheddar and jack cheese depending on the recipe.
If you are big fan of feta cheese, use these flavor combinations. Use this guide to find out more about what to eat with feta cheese so that you enjoy every bite in the meal.