Brynza- pickled cheese, which has long been prepared in many countries of Eastern Europe. It's cheese white color, without crust. Consistency dense, brittle, admissible not a large number of irregular ocelli of uneven shape. Usually the cheese is supplied in brine with water or whey, in which it matures in wooden barrels. Cheese is usually pretty great content salt, but it can be called a dietary cheese with a fairly low fat content. Brynza is an important component of many Eastern European dishes. These are salads, soups, meat dishes, dumplings, sandwiches, pastries and much more.In Bulgaria, Brynza is prepared in a special way: sprinkled with paprika, greased with butter and baked in parchment in the oven. It turns out a fragrant and surprisingly tasty dish.

Differences between Brynza and Feta

Many people confuse Feta and Brynza cheeses, which, of course, are relatives, but have several significant differences.

1. Milk: Cheese is made from sheep's or cow's milk, Feta is made from sheep's/goat's
2. Country of origin: Feta is the original Greek cheese, while Cheese can be found throughout Eastern Europe.
3. Taste: Brynza is quite strongly salted, has a sour-milky taste. Feta, on the other hand, has a less salty, but more piquant taste.
4. Consistency: Cheese has a fairly dense texture, brittle, but not crumbling. Feta is softer, it can even be spread on bread if desired. The texture of Feta is open, while in Cheese only a small number of irregular eyes are allowed.
5. Calorie content: Feta is one and a half times more caloric than Bryndza.

History of Brynza

There is a legend according to which an Arab merchant took with him on his journey a wineskin from a sheep's stomach filled with sheep's milk. During the campaign, the merchant forgot about the wineskin for a while, and when he opened it, a little whey poured out, and a dense clot with a sour-spicy smell was found at the bottom. It is believed that the recipe for the first cheese was obtained in this way, and it was very similar to the current cheese. In general, the emergence of pickled cheeses dates back to the very beginnings of cheese making and no one can say the exact date of the appearance of such cheeses as Feta and Brynza - it was just a very, very long time ago.

Now Brynza is produced throughout Eastern Europe. The main producing countries are Russia, Moldova, Bulgaria, Poland. In Poland, they make the world-famous Podgalianska Cheese - a product protected by the region of production, namely the Podhale region in southern Poland. In the west of Ukraine, in the city of Rakhiv, the Cheese festival is held annually.

Brynza and feta are two completely different cheeses, and they differ both in cooking technology and in taste, appearance and texture. Let's talk about all the differences in order.

Let's start with the origin of cheese.Feta is Greek cheese, which is prepared from a mixture of sheep and goat milk. We repeat: Greek cheese. Greek. Greek. And tOnly Greece has the right to produce feta according to the classic recipe. And everything that is sold in our supermarkets from Ukrainian producers is not feta, but only its miserable likeness.

As for the bryndza, then its homeland is Eastern Europe. Rumor has it that this cheese was originally prepared in Romania. But opinions about the ancestor of feta cheese differ, since today it is widely popular in Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, and the Balkans. The only true recipe for this cheese does not exist, feta cheese can be made from both cow's and sheep's and goat's milk.

The consistency of feta is smoother and creamier, while feta cheese is loose and resembles pressed cottage cheese. The two cheeses also differ in color.: feta always has a snow-white tint, but cheese can be either white or slightly yellowish.

The taste of feta is spicy and slightly sour. And here bryndza taste can change, since it all depends on the period of its exposure in a special solution. H The longer the feta cheese lies in brine, the more intense and spicy it tastes. Sometimes it is quite salty and spicy.

Feta is sold and stored exclusively in brine. In this form, it is suitable for consumption for several months or even a year. But the shelf life of cheese in brine is much less, only up to 60 days. And yes, cheese can be stored without brine. True, for a very short time: wrapped in foil or cling film cheese should be eaten within a couple of weeks.

Another difference between cheese and feta is in their nutritional properties. Cheese contains a very large amount of sodium(because of which it tastes very salty), as well as sulfur, phosphorus and potassium. Consumption of cheese has a positive effect on the condition of the skin, teeth, vision and bone tissue, as well as on the activity of the digestive system.

By by and large, village salad was always prepared from what the peasant had in the bins. Like our vinaigrette. It is believed that the composition of the classic "Greek" salad was formed several centuries ago. And there is only one snag - tomatoes. Today, this ruddy vegetable is considered almost the main ingredient in the dish. Meanwhile, the tomato came to Greece not so long ago. Europeans first learned about it in the 16th century, and tomatoes reached Greece at the beginning of the 18th century.

Growing tomatoes in Greece started in 1825. At first, this vegetable was eaten as if it were some kind of delicacy. Sending such a value to a bowl of rustic salad was out of the question. And only over time, when the Greeks learned to grow this vegetable crop, tomatoes, along with cucumbers and onions, were among the ingredients of the traditional dish.

Tomatoes were brought to Greece by Catholic monks. IN early XIX For centuries, they have used tomato fruits as decorative ornaments. They did not eat tomatoes, because they were deeply convinced of their poisonousness.

History of Horiatiki: 2 versions

Historians are still arguing about when and how the recipe for "Greek" salad appeared. There are two main versions of the origin of this dish (not counting the ancient one).

The emigrant returned to his father's house

Once, at the very beginning of the 20th century, a Greek emigrant, long years who had not been at home, returned to his patrimony from America. The occasion was worthy - the wedding of his own nephew. The emigrant traveled thousands of kilometers with only one thought: as soon as he gets to his native village, he will immediately taste olives, paprika, fresh cucumbers and sweet onions - products that were always in his father's house and which you will not find in American stores in the afternoon with fire.

On the way home, the protagonist of this legend had a terrible toothache. The sister cordially greeted the dear guest, and immediately began to relieve him of annoying pain with aniseed vodka. After rinsing toothache receded, but not completely. And therefore, in order to finally be able to taste the taste of childhood, our hero began to eat the vegetables not entirely, but after chopping them into a common plate and placing a weighty piece of fresh feta on top of the vegetables. The sister was surprised, but, having generously flavored the salad with olive oil, she tried it herself. She liked her brother's culinary improvisation so much that on her wedding day she treated everyone who came to congratulate the newlyweds with this salad.

And in the tavern the violin is crying softly...

The second version says that the recipe for "Greek" salad with fetax appeared towards the end of the 20th century. It allegedly happened in an Athenian tavern, located in the historical and oldest part of the Greek capital - on Plaka. Visitors turned to the owners of the tavern with a request to cook something hearty and refreshing. And while the street musician sawed off the violin, delighting visitors with a potpourri of groovy melodies, the hostess in the blink of an eye chopped up traditional Greek vegetables and seasoned them with olive oil and feta.

Be that as it may, but today in sunny Greece you will not find a single tavern or restaurant that does not have horiatiki on the menu.

Feta, cheese, fetax, tofu…

There are many variations of recipes. Some suggest putting feta on top of vegetables in a massive piece. Others claim that the main highlight of the salad should be cut into cubes. Still others even use feta cheese, fetax or tofu instead of feta. The table will help you understand the variety of cheese components of choriatiki.

Table - Feta and "feta substitutes"

What to put in the salad is up to you. But feta is the traditional queen of this world-changing dish. The first recipe for cheese was recorded at the end of the 16th century and boiled down to a simple algorithm: cut ordinary cheese into portions and pour a small amount of sea water so that it covers the surface dairy product. Then there was a lot of controversy regarding who has the right to produce cheese and consider himself its author. At the beginning of the 21st century, Greece won this dispute. From now on, only she can call herself the only producer of feta on the entire globe.

It is believed that properly cooked feta, when cut, will not leave marks on the knife blade. This test is still used today to determine the quality of cheese.

Olives: green or black

It just so happened that we call the green fruits of the olive tree olives, and the black fruits - olives. In fact, everything is much simpler. It is obvious that both olives and olives are the same "berries" that ripen on the olive. The color of the fruit depends on the degree of maturity and the variety of the tree. By and large, it does not matter what color of olives you choose. The main thing is that you like their taste.

Cooking "Greek" salad at home without olives is not worth it. This ingredient will spice up and make the dish more healthy. Olive fruits contain almost 60% of healthy fats and oils. They are very nutritious and perfectly satisfy the feeling of hunger.

Doctors call olives one of the best natural "medicines" that prevent the development of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Classic Greek salad recipe

Peculiarity . The main feature of Horiatika is that all the ingredients of the "Greek" salad are not crushed, but actually chopped. In the old days, these vegetables were eaten whole. Including onions. Today, they are simply chopped into large pieces so that the ingredients do not lose their priceless juice.

You will need:

• tomatoes - 0.5 kg;
• large paprika - three pieces;
• cucumber - 400 g;
• shallots or red Yalta onions - 200 g;
• pitted olives - a jar;
• feta - 200 g;
• olive oil - six large spoons;
• lemon juice - three large spoons;
• oregano, salt, pepper - to taste.

Cooking steps

1. First of all, we prepare the dressing, which, according to the chefs, should have time to infuse. To do this, using a whisk, mix olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice, after which we introduce oregano into the composition. Salt and pepper.
2. We cut the vegetables in the most acceptable way for you, but always large.
3. We send the vegetables to the salad bowl, pour in the dressing and mix thoroughly.
4. We put a bar of feta in a salad bowl on top, assuming that everyone will take exactly as much cheese as they want. And not so much as randomly fall into his plate.
5. Sprinkle the feta with the rest of the oregano. Sprinkle olives on top. We serve on the table.

As an alternative dressing, you can use a mixture olive oil and balsamic vinegar. To do this, add one tablespoon of vinegar to the indicated amount of oil and, after mixing thoroughly, immediately season the salad.

Modern "Russified" options

For our places classic recipe choriatiki is not enough calories. Therefore, you can safely upgrade the dish by adding more satisfying ingredients to it. For example, white chicken meat or seafood.

With boiled chicken meat and croutons

Peculiarity . Salad with boiled chicken meat can be safely served as a main dish. Even a man can get enough of it, not like a fragile representative of the fair sex. However, the dish will still remain dietary and healthy. The chicken will not only make the snack more satisfying, but also fill it with the protein and trace elements necessary for the body (phosphorus, calcium, potassium, zinc).

You will need:

• chicken breasts - 400 g;
• feta - one small package;
• croutons from white bread- 50 g;
• cherry tomatoes - six pieces;
• cucumber - one medium;
• sweet pepper - one large;
• pickled olives - 20 pieces;
• Yalta onion - one head;
• oregano - dessert spoon;
• lettuce leaves - ten pieces;
• honey - dessert spoon;
• olive oil - five tablespoons;
• salt, pepper, oregano, lemon juice - to taste.

Cooking steps

1. Cooking chicken fillet and cut it into slices. We don't shrink.
2. Coarsely chop all vegetable ingredients and mix with chicken.
3. Tear lettuce leaves by hand.
4. We cut the Yalta onion into large rings or half rings.
5. We mix all the prepared ingredients and season with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, honey and spices. Mix well.
6. Sprinkle with crackers - and immediately treat guests.

Croutons in the salad recipe did not appear by chance. Traditionally, the dish was served with white bread toasts, which were used to “soak” the fragrant yushka.

With shrimps and cheese

Peculiarity . Preparing a "Greek" salad with cheese and shrimp is not difficult. There are no fundamental changes in this author's recipe. Light in texture and fragrant shrimp are simply added to the traditional set of ingredients - a completely Mediterranean component. And feta was replaced by feta cheese - a denser and more familiar pickled cheese for us.

You will need:

• tomatoes - 100 g;
• paprika - 100 g;
• cucumber - 100 g;
• red onion - one head;
• peeled small shrimp - 200 g;
• cheese - 150 g;
• olives - 100 g;
• olive oil, oregano, lemon juice - for dressing.

Cooking steps

1. We mix olive oil with lemon juice and oregano, salt and pepper the dressing, move it aside so that it has time to brew.
2. Cut vegetables into medium sized cubes.
3. We chop the onion into quarters of the rings.
4. Brynza cut into small cubes.
5. Remove shells from shrimp and add to bowl.
6. Dress the salad and mix all the ingredients.

yogurt dressing

Peculiarity . If you want to dress up your Greek salad with something special and not quite traditional, make a yogurt-based dressing. Garlic will give the salad a savory flavor, and the yogurt base will add freshness. Not to mention the beneficial effect on the digestive system.

You will need:

• yogurt without fillers - half a glass;
• garlic - one clove;
• apple cider vinegar - a tablespoon;
• honey - dessert spoon;
• salt and pepper - to taste.

Cooking steps

1. We heat honey in a water bath.
2. Squeeze garlic into it.
3. Pour the mixture into yogurt and add vinegar there.
4. Mix thoroughly, salt, pepper, beat a little - and send the yogurt dressing to the refrigerator.
5. Flavor the dish just before serving.

Tips from Mediterranean housewives

Every Greek woman has her own secret of the traditional salad. However, there are well-known principles of its preparation. By adhering to five recommendations, you can easily create a dish “a la from a Greek tavern”.

1. Cucumbers without peel. The Greeks believe that the cucumber must be peeled before sending it to the salad. This will make the texture of the snack softer.
2. Only red onion. If the bow, the Greeks believe, then it is exclusively red. No shallot? Take sweet Yalta as a worthy alternative.
3. Refrigeration before serving. Ideally, the salad should be at least half an hour in the refrigerator before being sent to the table. If time is short, simply refrigerate the dressing before flavoring the dish.
4. Bread "mattress". The inhabitants of Crete lay out the bottom of the salad bowl with slices of fresh bread. When the salad is all eaten, bread soaked in juice remains at the bottom - a delicacy for connoisseurs.
5. Pink vinegar instead of lemon. If there was no lemon in the house, this ingredient can be safely replaced with grape vinegar. Only pink, not white.

A giant portion of Horiatika was cooked on the Greek island of Crete. Residents of Ierapetra, the southernmost Greek city, needed 70 centners of tomatoes, 30 centners of cucumbers, 0.5 tons of butter and 800 kg of cheese to become absolute champions in this undertaking and get into the Guinness Book of Records.

The uncomplicated and simple recipe for "Greek" salad makes the dish an absolute hit on both the festive and everyday tables. The snack personifies a rare combination of health benefits, nutritional value and perfect taste, which is relevant at any time of the year. Tomatoes saturate rustic salad with vitamin C and turn it into a gastronomic "storehouse" of antioxidants. That's why horiatiki is a must eat for gourmets who care about health and are not indifferent to the condition of their bodies.

Reviews: "The secret is in simplicity"

The "secret of Greek salad" is that it contains neither corn nor crab sticks not even Calve's mayonnaise, although this may certainly seem strange and not edible. It's just cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta, olive oil, and sprinkled with this oregano.

Anonymous, http://www.woman.ru/home/culinary/thread/2846273/

My husband, too, was not happy with the Greek salad, he didn’t eat up, I also began to add chicken to him there, only not separately, but in pieces, and I’ll say that this salad didn’t spoil at all and even gave it a new taste. Now we have women's Greek salad and men's Greek salad in our house.

Irina, http://www.arabio.ru/recept/salat/greece.htm

And in our restaurant they cook it differently: chopped salad (we have romaine, but you can use any other one) poured with Italian dressing (you can just use olive oil), cucumber on top (in quarters of 3 mm), red bell pepper (straw), red onions (half rings), feta cheese, (diced), put 3 slices of tomato, 2 heaps of chopped olives and 2 olives around the edges of the plate. if we talk about grams, then one serving is 15 g of red onion, 30 g of cucumbers, 70 g of lettuce, 10 g of pepper, 30 ml of dressing, 30 g of feta

Katya, https://gotovim-doma.ru/recipe/156-salat-grecheskii

Greek salad epitomizes Mediterranean cuisine - a lot fresh vegetables, feta cheese (it can be replaced with fetax, sirtaki or even cheese), olives, herbs, olive oil - everything is very tasty, healthy and bright. Perhaps that is why the salad has gained such popularity, and, in fact, not a single feast is complete without it.

Horiatiki salad, as it is called in Greece, means “village” - well, it’s understandable that in the Greek village about such products are constantly in the house - I cut everything into large pieces, seasoned with olive oil ... Very simple, but very tasty.

In this salad, everything is fresh, not subjected to heat treatment, that is, the most juicy and healthy. It is also meat-free, which is why it is one of the favorite salads of vegetarians, but for the rest it can be a healthy and refreshing respite from more solid ones. meat dishes during a feast.

For Greek salad in Greece, oregano is traditionally used, but a mixture of Provence herbs is also possible.

Of course, like every salad that has received national recognition, the Greek one has a lot of variations: someone adds lettuce leaves, they also make it with mushrooms or shrimp, etc. I will describe several of these options.

Garlic is not put in a Greek salad, but you can lubricate the inner walls of the bowl in which you make or serve it with a clove of garlic.

Cucumbers, by the way, are usually put in this salad peeled, but for some reason this is rarely done in Russia, I didn’t do it in my recipes either, but I’ll definitely try it next time to get a real Greek taste.

Although the best dressing for a Greek salad is just olive oil and oregano.

Greek salad with croutons, feta cheese and chicken

Greek salad - a simple classic recipe with cheese

This is the simplest and delicious recipe Greek salad. You can make it with feta, but I made it with cheese, simply because feta was not at hand. And I also added chopped lettuce leaves for a change.

I want to add that a large cut gives the salad a special rustic chic, in my photo I even made it a little small. If you cut it even larger, it will be quite like in a trendy restaurant. It will be even more like a real rustic Greek salad if the vegetables are not cut into cubes, but simply into pieces right on the plate, and the cheese is broken with your hands.

If you want to make a salad just for a snack, then I give a convenient recipe for two servings. You can proportionally increase by the required number of people.

Ingredients:

• Tomato - 1 medium,
• Cucumber - 1 medium,
• Bulgarian pepper - half,
• Feta cheese (I have soft cheese) - one hundred g,
• Boneless olives - 2 tbsp.,
• Parsley - 3-4 branches,
• Salt - a third of a teaspoon,
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp.

1. If you want, you can wipe the bowl where you will make the salad with a halved clove of garlic.

2. Cucumber cut into large cubes, put in a bowl. Cut up the tomato.

3. Add to cucumber.

4. Cut the bell pepper and lettuce leaves, and put them in a bowl too.

5. Add two tablespoons of olives, a third of a teaspoon of salt.

6. Pour in two tablespoons of olive oil.

7. Cut the feta cheese into large cubes. Add feta to salad and toss gently. Greek salad is ready!

To make it easier to cut feta cheese, you can dip the knife in cold water.

8. You can serve in one large bowl or divide into portioned plates.

When serving on a salad, you can squeeze the juice of a lemon, it always sets off the vegetables favorably.

Greek salad - a classic recipe with feta cheese or feta

And this is a more festive recipe - this is also a classic Greek salad, but we will use feta cheese, you can also use fetax or sitaki cheese, and make a delicious dressing - sauce. Such a salad will decorate the New Year's or other festive table.

Greek Salad Ingredients:

• Three medium cucumbers
• Three medium tomatoes
• Two bell peppers
• 1 jar olives (pitted)
• One hundred grams of leaf lettuce,
• Feta cheese (fetaxa or similar) - 150 g
• Greek salad dressing:
• Unrefined olive oil - 100 ml,
• Juice of a small lemon (or 0.5 large, or 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar),
• Basil 1 tsp dry or fresh
• Oregano - 1 tsp,
• Rosemary - 0.5 tsp

1. Cut vegetables into large pieces.

2. Put in a bowl, add olives and mix.

3. Place lettuce leaves on a plate.

4. On them are vegetables with olives.

5. Cut the feta cheese into cubes.

6. Spread the cheese cubes on top of the salad. It is not necessary to stir, because then the cheese will fall apart, it is very soft.

7. After that, prepare the salad dressing.

homemade greek salad dressing

8. Squeeze juice from half a large lemon or one small one. And add 100 ml of olive oil.

9. Add 1 tsp. basil and oregano and a little bit of rosemary. If there is, then it is better to use greens. Mix everything. The gas station is ready.

10. Lightly salt the salad (without stirring), add black pepper. We pour dressing. Greek salad is ready.

Greek salad - recipe with croutons, fetax and chicken

Greek salad can become truly satisfying when cooked with croutons and chicken. At the same time, it will look something like a Caesar, because it also uses tomatoes, lettuce, croutons and chicken. But the Greek salad is brighter and richer in taste due to more vegetables. This not-quite-classic variation is delicious!

Products:

• Chicken breast - 100 g,
• 4 slices of white bread (150 g),
• Green salad - a few leaves,
• one tomato,
• One medium cucumber
• Half a lettuce pepper
• Onion - a quarter of an onion,
• Pitted olives - 2 tbsp. (70 g),
• Fetax - 200 gr.,
• Olive oil,
• Provence herbs or oregano.

1. Chicken breast should be boiled and cut into cubes. You can still fry after that in vegetable oil.

2. Cut off the crusts of the bread, cut into cubes. They can be dried in the oven or fried in vegetable oil. It seems to me that fried crackers are tastier - they are not as hard as from the oven. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the croutons.

3. We will not subject anything to more heat treatment. Wash the lettuce leaves well and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange on a serving platter.

It is advisable to serve Greek salad in portions, and cook immediately before serving, and not do it for the future.

4. Cut the tomatoes into slices or cubes. Lay on lettuce leaves.

5. Cucumber also cut into cubes and put on a tomato.

6. Cut the pepper into cubes and add to the salad.

7. Finely chop a quarter of a large onion (quarters of the rings).

For this recipe, it is best to use red or purple onions - it will be more beautiful and tastier.

8. Salt vegetables, but do not mix. Place chicken pieces and black olives on top.

9. Cut the fetax into cubes and put it on a dish too.

10. At the end, sprinkle with fried crackers. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with herbes de Provence or oregano.

Unusual Greek salad with mozzarella

This is an unusual version of a Greek salad with mozzarella, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and a mix of salad greens. Of course, you can say that this is just a vegetable salad, but the rest of the ingredients are the same as in Greek. So judge for yourself, but the recipe will not be superfluous. In addition, creativity in food is very important!

By the way, I noticed that such inexpensive ingredients as sunflower or pumpkin seeds give green salads a special sophistication. And this salad, as I am now describing, is one of my favorites, and it is delicious, even if it does not have some of the vegetables needed in the recipe.

Products:

• Tomatoes - 200 g,
• Cucumbers - 80 g,
• Bulgarian pepper - 50 g,
• Mix of salad greens - 50 g,
• Mozzarella - 50 g,
• Sunflower seeds - 1 tbsp.,
• Pumpkin seeds - 1 tbsp.,
• Olive oil - 3 tablespoons,
• Balsamic vinegar - 1 tbsp.,
• Black pepper, salt and honey to taste.

1. Cut the bell pepper into chunks. Put in a bowl.

2. Tomato - large slices. Add to bowl.

3. Cucumber - in half rings. Add to salad.

4. Cut the onion into half rings. Send to salad.

5. Tear greens, lettuce leaves with your hands or add salad mix to a bowl. Roast pumpkin and sunflower seeds. (Delicious, even if not fried).

6. Mix a little honey, three tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, a little salt and black pepper. Mix or shake well.

7. Fill the salad with this sauce and mix. Lay out on a plate. Drizzle with the rest of the sauce from the bowl.

8. Add mozzarella. Sprinkle with seeds.

Greek salad with feta (video)