In this installment
Feta Voras Cheese
Loukanika Salami
Feta Voras Cheese
Greece is famous for its islands. Justifiably so, they’re amazing. But there’s another Greece worth exploring, the Greece that tourists don’t see much of. Mainland Greece, northern Greece, mountain Greece. It’s hilly and green, covered in trees, stalked by wolves and bears. Forget stark white buildings and clarion skies. This is the land of umber and clouds, where you realize Greece is Balkan.
This where Feta Voras hails from. Mount Voras is one of the highest peaks in Florina, the province in northwest Greece where Sokratis and Andreas, two brothers in their 30s, are the third generation of their family to make traditional feta. Their cheese is almost entirely sheep’s milk from the local Florina breed. Since Greek shepherds traditionally keep a handful of goats among their flock there’s a smidge of goat’s milk too. The recipe rules for true feta let you make it with up to 30% goat’s milk. But for my money feta that’s nearly all sheep’s milk—like this one—is best. It lends a lusciousness that can’t be beat.
Enjoy Feta Voras as you would any feta. Crumbled in a salad. On its own with some extra virgin olive oil and oregano. Or, do as the Greeks do, melt a few chunks down in your next sauce. It’ll add a creamy umami blast.
Loukanika Salami
Loukanika (loo-KAH-nik-ah) is originally a Greek recipe, and this take is made by Driftless Provisions in Wisconsin. Ryan Wagner and his team craft salami from wild game and heritage Berkshire hogs raised humanely without hormones or antibiotics on nearby farms. The pork is seasoned with garlic, cumin and orange zest. It’s wild, complex with a strong flavor of cumin tempered with the bitter citrus notes from the orange rind. Unexpected and delicious.