A pride filled review of Feta Lesbos

In honor of this weekend’s Pride and more specifically the Dyke March, we’re excited about our review of Feta Lesbos, or how it’s affectionately known at The Cheese School, Lesbian Cheese!!! (And yes the title is always followed up with several exclamation points even when stated verbally.)

We were first introduced to Feta Lesbos at the Cheesemonger Invitational in early January. Amongst the 50+ cheeses our monger, Noreen, tasted this one stood out.

The feta is made from pasteurized lesbian sheep’s milk each day from mid-December through the end of July. These lovely lesbians reside on the the isle of Lesbos, specifically from the village of Agra where the number of sheep vastly outnumber their human counterparts. Lesbos is the only Greek island to hold a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) for feta. (PDO products are defined by the region and the traditional methods in which they’re made.)

Feta Lesbos is handmade by M. Tastanis, a third generation cheesemaker, and distributed by Essex Cheese. The cheese is cubed, stored in brine, and aged for anywhere between 4 to 18 months. The folks at Essex say, “The process is essentially the same as described in Homer’s Odyssey, where the Cyclops was a cheese maker”.

The result is a perfectly sea salty and mildly tart cheese that just might be the best feta we’ve ever tasted.

Chef Jocelyn whipped up a quick recipe that’s super easy to make at home for you cheesemongers or chefs in training!

2 slices of garlic
1 sprig fresh thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 baguette (We recommend Acme)
1 heirloom tomato/
Essex Feta Lesbos!!!!

• Saute two cloves of thinly sliced garlic and fresh thyme in olive oil
• Slice an Acme baguette, drizzle with olive oil, and lightly toast
• Slice one heirloom tomato
• Crumble Essex Feta Lesbos and drizzle olive oil/garlic/thyme mixture
• Or throw on top of a homemade pizza!

Pairing Suggestion
Salted Watermelon Jelly from Friends in Cheeses

Check out Essex Cheese to see where you can get Feta Lesbos! We recommend calling the cheese shops from this list first to see if it's available.