Feta Cheese vs Ricotta Cheese
Feta and Ricotta are two types of cheese that show some difference between them in terms of their preparation, taste, texture and the like. Feta is made in the country of Greece. Byzantine Empire can be said to be the country of origin for Feta cheese.
It is interesting to note that the source of milk in the preparation of Feta cheese is sheep or sometimes goat as well. Sometimes the milk of cow or buffalo is also used in the making of Feta cheese. On the other hand, Ricotta cheese is made in Italy. In fact, it is an Italian dairy product made from the sheep milk. Sometimes like the Feta cheese the milk of cow or buffalo can also be used in the making of Ricotta cheese.
It is interesting to note that Ricotta is referred primarily as cheese. At the same time it is not proper cheese, since it is not produced by the coagulation of casein. On the other hand, milk proteins like albumin and globulin are used in the making of Ricotta cheese. These two kinds of protein are left over in the whey, which is instrumental in separating milk during the production of cheese.
It is important to know that Feta cheese contains more protein when compared to the Ricotta cheese. This is due to the fact that the most protein, especially milk protein is removed when the Ricotta cheese is made. Whatever protein remains is actually drafted from the whey used in the making of the cheese. This is one of the major differences between Feta cheese and Ricotta cheese.
Ricotta cheese appears white in color. They appear creamy too. They normally contain only 13% of fat. Hence it is said that Ricotta cheese looks more like the cottage cheese, which is known to have a semi-soft texture. One of the disadvantages of Ricotta cheese is that it is highly perishable when compared to the Feta cheese.
Feta cheese on the other hand, is pasteurized depending on the variety of production. Its texture too depends upon the variety of production. It is interesting to note that some of the Feta cheese varieties are semi-soft like the cottage cheese and some of the Feta cheese varieties are hard in their texture.
One of the advantages of Feta cheese is that it can be preserved for a long time. Its minimum preservation period is 3 months. Feta cheese is available in the shape of square cakes. Its taste is tangy and salty as well. As a mater of fact Feta is a Greek word. It comes from the Italian word ‘fetta’ meaning ‘slice’. Hence it can be called as sliced cheese.
Feta cheese has been prepared traditionally by the farmers from the milk of sheep. It is important to know that the milk of goat is also used in the making of Feta cheese in recent times. Ricotta cheese can be mixed with sugar, cinnamon, and sometimes with chocolate shavings. It is occasionally served as a dessert.