Feta vs Goat Cheese: Difference and Comparison

Cheesemaking has existed since ancient times, it was an accidental discovery while transporting milk in animal stomachs and animal skin containers where the proteins of the skin turned the milk into milk solids and cheese.

It is now a way to preserve milk and is also a flavorful delicacy. Feta and Goat cheese both use goat milk as a necessary ingredient but cow milk is the most used for cheesemaking in the world.

Key Takeaways

1. Feta cheese originates from Greece, while goat cheese can be made in numerous countries.
2. Feta has a crumbly texture and tangy flavor, whereas goat cheese boasts a creamy consistency and milder taste.
3. Feta cheese consists primarily of sheep’s milk and some goat’s milk, while goat cheese uses goat’s milk exclusively.

Feta vs Goat Cheese

Feta cheese is a brined cheese made from sheep’s milk or goat’s milk and has a tangy, salty flavor. It is used in Greek salads, sandwiches, and other Mediterranean dishes. Goat cheese has a mild, sweet flavor and creamy texture, and is used in salads, pizzas, and crackers.

Feta cheese is a white-colored soft cheese made from goat and sheep milk or sometimes only sheep milk and hung dry before being brined in a salt solution.

It is majorly used in salads and pies and is an essential ingredient of Greek salad. It has a briny and sour taste which goes very well with fresh vegetables and fruits.

Goat cheese is the broad term for all the cheeses made using goat milk. They may be soft like feta or hard like pecorino cheeses.

Goat milk is more tart than cow’s milk and also has a lesser overall lactose percentage. Goat cheese is made by allowing goat milk to curdle naturally or by using enzymes or acids to coagulate it.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Feta	Goat Cheese
Origin	Feta originates from Greece where this word was first used for cheese in the 17th century.	Goat cheese originates from the Middle Eastern and Turkish regions where goat milk is more easily available.
Ingredients	Feta contains either 70 percent sheep milk and 30 percent goat milk or 100 percent sheep milk.	Goat milk, as in the name, uses whole goat milk in different ways to form different types of goat cheese.
Taste	It has a slightly creamy, tangy, and salty taste and crumbles easily.	It has a more earthy and tart flavor and is softer and creamy like cream cheese.
Calorific Information	It has 264 calories per serving of 100g.	It has 364 calories per 100g serving
Aging	Good feta cheese is aged for about 12 months which makes it more peppery.	Goat cheese is aged up to 3 months which makes it harder and more earthy.

What is Feta?

Feta is the name given to the soft, white, and creamy cheese made up of goat and sheep milk that is mainly produced in and originates from Greece, more particularly the Lesbos prefecture.

Feta is the main ingredient of Greek salad and spinach and artichoke pies, staples in Greek cuisine.

Feta cheese is made by coagulating the milk mixture and adding rennet, an enzyme group of animal origin, after which the curds are pressed and dried to remove the excess whey.

The feta blocks are then brined in a salt solution for up to many months and it is also sold in its brine as it dries out fairly quickly.

Feta has a crumbly texture and a tangy and salty taste and cheese connoisseurs describe it as fresh but still flavorful cheese. Per 100g serving, feta contains 21g of fat and 14 g of protein.

Historical records state the word feta originated in the 17th century and literally means “slice” because it is consumed in slices.

The cheese itself is as old as when the age of cattle rearing started and cheese was accidentally discovered as an excellent and flavorful way of preventing milk from spoiling.

What is Goat Cheese?

Goat cheese is a category of cheese that is made up of goat milk. It may range from soft cheeses like Chevre to hard cheeses like the Gouda.

Goat milk is mainly produced in and originates from the middle east, South Sudan is the country with the most goat cheese production in the world.

Goat cheese used to be made by naturally allowing the milk to coagulate or by using acids to split it into curds and whey protein, then the curds are consolidated into a block using cheesecloth and put in a brine solution for a few weeks.

It may then be dry-aged for up to 3 months which makes it a bit bitter and earthy.

Goat cheese has a gamey taste that is lightly sweet and sour, as it ages, goat cheese hardens and develops a more earthy and mature flavor. Per 100g serving, it contains 30g of fat and 22g of protein.

Goat cheese gets creamy and soft on warning therefore its use in pies and pastries is really appreciated.

Goat cheese originated in 8th century France in the Loire Valley region.

High-quality Chevre cheese is predominantly made in this region. Since then, many different methods to make goat cheese have been developed.

Main Differences Between Feta and Goat Cheese

1. Feta cheese is made by using sheep milk and goat milk whereas goat cheese is 100 percent goat milk.
2. Feta is crumbly and consolidated in its texture whereas goat cheese is soft like cream cheese and it gets harder as it ages more and more.
3. Goat cheese is more calorie-rich and also has more iron content than feta whereas feta is richer in Calcium and Vitamin B6.
4. Feta cheese is a greek ingredient and has a lot of cultural importance there whereas goat cheese is a middle eastern and Mediterranean ingredient.
5. South Sudan produces the most goat cheese for any country and Greece produces the most feta cheese for any country.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0958694694900396
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921448806000216

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023