Greek Cheeses
There is no doubt that Feta is the star of Greek cheeses. Most people even in Greece use no other cheese more than feta. After Feta the popular ones are Kasseri, Kefalograviera, Manouri, Myzithra, Kefalotyri, Anthotyro, etc., and whether you visit a well known city restaurant or the most inexpensive tavern in a lonesome province village, they will practically always serve you Feta with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Rigani (oregano). Feta, is a sheep's milk cheese which has been for centuries, if not millennia, a staple food; a typical Greek family enjoys an average of 100 kilos (over 200 pounds) of Feta per year, so the European Union statisticians tell us.

There is a small concern throughout Greece in meeting local demand. As is typical of most cheeses, and there is no exception for Greece, the flavour of the sheep's milk cheese varies from region to region due to grasses and soil and each producer swears by their product and have their own loyal customers who will buy large quantities of the cheese.

The word FETA means a “slice” or a “piece” and refers to the way the curds are treated during the manufacturing process.

Typical Greek cheese shops sell many different types of cheese, made from sheep's, goat's or cow's milk. While not all the varieties, here is a sampling of the different Cheeses that are found in Greece:

Feta - a soft and slightly crumbly white sheep's milk cheese (produced in different regions)
Feta to cure properly must be stored in wooden barrels.
Anthotiros - Similar to mizithra; soft and unsalted with a full fat content (Crete)
Batzos - Sweet-sour, semi hard cheese made from sheep's or goat's milk (Naousa/Macedonia)
Halloumi - Spicy, high fat content hard cheese (Cyprus)
Kloro - Soft cheese from sheep's or goat's milk; khioro' vinsanto is preserved in wine (Santorini)
Formailla - Strong, cylindrical hard cheese made from sheep's milk (Parnassos)
Galotiri - Very strong, white, easily spread soft cheese (Thessaly)
Graviera - Aromatic hard cheese made from cow's milk, similar to Swiss cheese (Various regions)
Kasseri - Semi hard slightly tangy, yellow-white sheep's milk cheese (Various region)
Kathoura - Soft goat's milk cheese similar to mozzarella (Ikaria)
Kefalograviera - Tangy, pale yellow hard cheese made from cow's or sheep's milk (Various regions)
Kefalotiri - Tangy, salty hard cheese made from sheep's or goat's milk (Various regions)
Kopanisti - Tangy, easily spread blue-veined sheep's milk cheese (Cyclades)
Krasotiri Gilomeno - Hard sheep's milk cheese preserved in wine (Dodecanese)
Ladotiri - Hard cheese matured in oil (Zakinthos)
Manouri - Mild, soft sheep's milk cheese (Various regions)
Metsovone - Smoked hard cheese (Metsovon)
Mizithra - Soft sheep's milk cheese similar to manouri (Chios)
Petroto - Hard cow's milk cheese pressed between two stones (Tinos)
Pretza - Creamy, very strong soft cheese (Zakinthos)
San Michali - Tangy hard cheese made from cow's milk (Syros)
Sfelia - Strong cheese made from sheep's or goat's milk (Peloponnese)
Telemes - Like feta, but made from cow's milk (Various regions)
Tiri Tiraki - Cow's milk cheese (Tinos)
Touloumotiri - Strong soft cheese made from goat's milk (East Aegean)
Xinomizithra - A type of high fat Cottage cheese, usually tangy and salty (Cyclades)

One of my favorite dips is a combination of Greek and Sicilian ingredients which includes Feta

Greco Siciliano Dip
1 20 oz can cannellini beans, drained well
¼ cup sun dried tomato-in oil-drained
¼ cup capers – in brine
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt and ground pepper
½ cup feta cheese - crumbled
½ tsp cayenne pepper
4 tbsp hot water

Chopped parsley for garnish

Place beans in a food processor, together with the sun dried tomato – drained of the oil, capers – drained of the brine, onion and garlic. Pulsate for a few seconds.

Add the olive oil and lemon juice, pulsing on and off for a few seconds.

Add feta cheese, cayenne pepper and pulsate until the puree is smooth.
If needed, loosen the consistency with the hot water.

Season with salt and pepper and pulsate to finish

Decorate with chopped parsley