Feta is the best-known Greek cheese but most of what we get isn't made in Greece. Other countries - such as Denmark, Australia and the United States - make cheese in the same style and label it 'feta'. They shouldn't, because the European Union has given Greek feta PDO (protected designation of origin) status.
In Greece, feta is traditionally made with a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk (elsewhere cow's milk is used instead). It was originally a raw-milk cheese but pasteurised milk is more often used now due to health concerns. The milk is curdled and drained; the curd is mixed with salt and pressed, then aged in brine. Feta is white, moist, firm and crumbly, with a sharp, slightly salty flavour. The salt water preserves the cheese so it's almost always stored in the brine until sold. The cheese gets saltier and firmer the longer it's soaked. The salt content should be kept in mind when cooking with feta since it's easy to end up with an over-salted dish.
It is mixed with tomato, sliced onion and cucumber in a Greek salad. It's used in spanakopita - savoury Greek 'pie', mixed with onion, spinach and egg, and wrapped in filo.
Feta - from Greece and elsewhere (Greek feta is more expensive) - is sold at supermarkets such as Oliver's, Prince's Building, Central (tel: 2810 7710) and Great, Pacific Place, Admiralty (tel: 2918 9986).