Sunday 1 September 2013

Vegan feta, anyone?

Coming from a Greek family, I was raised on feta cheese. My favourite way to eat it was with pasta or with watermelon. I have found from experience that it is an acquired taste and if you were not raised eating it, it may take a while for you to get use to it.  Feta also varies a lot, depending on where it is made. The Greek feta, I found was dryer, more crumbly, whilst the Danish was creamier and smoother. Saltiness was another factor. I found the Greek to be saltier.

Why am I going on about dairy feta in a vegan blog? Well, I have actually managed to find a vegan version, which surprised me to no end! I have come across all sorts of vegan cheeses, from cheddar to blue, but never feta. 

Then I heard that the Kakulas stores and some other European import food stores stock a vegan cheese, so I had to go and check it out.

I found some at Kakulas Sister in Nollamara. It was behind the deli counter, and was labelled as 'Fasting/Vegan Feta'. The 'fasting' aspect is for the benefit of their Greek Orthodox clients, who for religious traditions, fast at certain times of the year. For vegans, this means that this feta contains no animal ingredients and I am told, has been confirmed by the highest Greek Orthodox authority in Perth. 

I bought a small block and took it home to crumble it on some pasta. The taste test proved that it leaned more towards the 'creamy' texture, rather than the crumbly and it was very much salty. Some might find it too salty, so I would suggest consuming it in moderation. You'd probably want to do that anyway, as it is quite rich , too.

So, finding vegan feta just goes to prove that if you look, you can pretty much find a vegan version of just about anything!


6 comments:

  1. WOW. I have to try this! I loved Feta when I ate dairy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is so great to know! There is a good sized Greek deli walking distance from my house - I must ask if they have a fasting feta next time I pop in. Is the Kakulas feta based on nuts, soy or something else?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Having tried it, I would guess soy but would have investigate further to confirm that.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'll have to look out for this, as vegan cheese usually disappoints the hubby!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oooh great to know! I'll be looking out for this one :)

    ReplyDelete