Slivers of garlicky red pepper on a creamy Balkan white bean dip known as papula
T
his week, I’ve been putting the finishing touches on an interview I recorded with legendary Australian cheesemaker Richard Thomas, the inventor of an ingredient you may not even realise is Australian: marinated feta, AKA “Persian fetta”. An unexpected stop on a trip to Iran in the 1970s gifted Thomas a chance meeting with a Persian doctor and his breakfast: fresh labneh with soft, still-warm lavash. It was a revelation. On his return, Thomas got to work creating a fresh cheese from goat’s milk (similar to chèvre) and from cow’s milk, marinated and preserved in oil, with an extra “t” to avert confusion with the Greek-style feta, that’s still being utilised by cooks and chefs right across the world.
Persian fetta is a shapeshifter, capable of remaining both firm and steadfast when crumbled across the top of a platter or salad, and of yielding to a soft, velvety cream, enhancing all manner of dishes from pasta to pesto to whipped dips and schmears – and, of course, as a topping for that Aussie cafe staple, avocado toast.
When cafe culture ground to a halt during the rolling Covid lockdowns, Persian fetta producers were left with bucketloads (literally) that would normally have been used by the city’s cafes, so instead they offered them to independent grocers and supermarkets. Stuck at home with my bucket of cheese, I’d plonk some into anything savoury I was testing – and I mean anything.
