Essex Feta Cheese from Lesbos

Feta is one of the world’s oldest cheeses, with roots reaching back to ancient Greece. Homer himself wrote about it: in The Odyssey, Ulysses discovers feta in the cave of Polyphemos the Cyclops. For centuries, feta has been crafted in harmony with its rugged landscape—but it’s also been imitated and industrialized, often stripped of the care that makes the original so extraordinary. For a long time, anyone could label their cheese “feta,” and Germany—not Greece—was the world’s top producer. That changed when “feta” was recognized as a protected designation of origin. Today, real feta can only be made in specific Greek regions, and the island of Lesbos is among the most storied.

Essex Feta is crafted in the village of Agra on the island’s western rim, where sheep have grazed the herb-covered volcanic hills for millennia. Panagiotis Tastanis, second generation of a family of cheesemakers, works side by side with his daughter in their creamery. Twice a day, after morning and evening milkings, local shepherds bring in milk from small flocks of local sheep—rare animals whose milk reflects the wildflowers and sea breezes of the island. The cheese is made simply, using just sheep’s milk and sea salt drawn from Kalloni’s 400-year-old salt pans. It’s then bathed in brine, a process that preserves and gently matures the cheese while allowing its delicate character to shine.

Unlike the firm, crumbly feta most Americans know, Essex Feta is soft and yielding, with a pillowy texture more like what Greeks enjoy at their own tables. Its flavor is gentle and creamy, layered with the tang of sea salt and the sweetness of fresh milk. The hills around Agra are quiet, dotted with tiny flocks of a few dozen sheep each.

Serve Essex Feta with ripe summer tomatoes and olive oil for a classic Greek pairing, crumble it over roasted vegetables, or let it anchor a mezze spread alongside olives, pita, and grilled lamb.

• Pairings: crisp Assyrtiko, Sauvignon Blanc, dry rosé, light-bodied Pinot Noir, wheat beer, Belgian-style witbier, pilsner