When Is Feta, Feta?

[DLJBSP]

 

Feta is not simply the name of a style of cheese.

 

Within the European Union, Feta is a legally protected name. To be sold there as authentic Feta PDO, the cheese must come from Greece and follow specific production requirements. It must be made from sheep’s milk, although up to 30 percent goat’s milk may be added. Cow’s milk is not permitted. It must also be aged for at least two months.

 

That protection was not automatic. For years, other European countries argued that “feta” had become a general name for a type of white cheese. Greece argued that the name was tied to a particular place, tradition, and way of making it. Finally, the European Union recognized Feta as a protected Greek product.

 

So a white, crumbly cheese made somewhere else may look like feta, taste similar to feta, and even be made in much the same way.

 

But legally, it is not Feta.

 

That is what makes the name interesting. It does not merely describe appearance. The name carries with it an origin, a standard, and a history.

 

There is something worth thinking about there.

 

Sometimes a name tells us more than what something looks like. It tells us where it came from, what it is made from, and whether it truly meets the standard behind the name.

 

That brings to mind Jesus’ simple statement:

“Each tree is known by its own fruit.” — Luke 6:44

 

A label can say many things. In the end, what something truly is becomes evident by what it actually produces.

 

Oh, now I wonder if I've ever really had Feta. . .