{"id":12794,"date":"2019-08-22T09:00:49","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T13:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/?p=12794"},"modified":"2019-08-22T04:42:00","modified_gmt":"2019-08-22T08:42:00","slug":"mexico-and-its-cheeses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/mexico-and-its-cheeses\/","title":{"rendered":"Mexico and its Cheeses"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we think of cheese, our minds usually think of France, the Netherlands and Italy (to name a few), but much less to Mexico. However, Mexico boasts of some delicious cheese that complement Mexican cuisine quite well. In this post, I would like to explore the queso\u00a0<\/em>tradition in Mexico with four of its varieties:\u00a0queso Oaxaca, queso panela,<\/em>\u00a0and queso de bola.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Photo taken by Grace found on Flickr.com with license CC BY 2.0<\/p><\/div>\n

Historia<\/h3>\n

Mexico’s history with cheese began after la Conquista Espa\u00f1ola <\/em>in the 16th century. Cattle or\u00a0ganado<\/em>\u00a0was unknown to the Americas before the Spanish. The Spanish introduced their dairy traditions including cheese making. Later on, other countries influenced cheese-making in Mexico with all sorts of developments. Most of the cheese made in Mexico is queso fresco<\/em> or cheese that has not been left to age. These cheeses can’t be stored for long periods of time and have a milder flavor than the aged counterparts. Most cheese sold at major grocery stores is made with pasteurised milk, however, unpasteurised cheese can still be found in markets and local farmer shops.<\/p>\n

Queso Oaxaca<\/h3>\n
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Queso Oaxaca (personal photograph)<\/p><\/div>\n

Known as queso oaxaca, quesillo <\/em>or\u00a0queso trenzado,\u00a0<\/em>this is perhaps one of the most popular cheeses. It\u00a0is made with\u00a0leche de vaca pasteurizada<\/em> or pasteurised cow’s milk and is easy to shred. It is the choice of cheese for quesadillas<\/em> thanks to its mild flavor and ability to melt quickly.\u00a0Quesillo\u00a0<\/em>was first made in Oaxaca with a similar method as that of the Italian mozarella, but using the available cow’s milk.<\/p>\n

Because of its mild flavor, quesadillas<\/em> with queso Oaxaca<\/em> taste great with added ingredients such as flor de calabaza<\/em> or zucchini flowers, huitlacoche<\/em> which is a type of corn fungus that is safe to eat, and Poblano peppers.<\/p>\n

Queso panela<\/h3>\n

Queso panela<\/em> is perhaps one of the healthiest cheese options out there. This queso fresco<\/em> does not melt and adapts well to other flavors. It is often used as an appetizer or to snack on and can also be sprinkled on top of enchiladas<\/em> and sopes<\/em>. The flavor of queso panela<\/em> is so versatile that it can also be served as dessert together with ate or quince.<\/p>\n

Queso panela is also sometimes called queso de rancho. Queso de rancho is the name given to a very wide variety of cheeses made in similar fashion to that of panela, but in a more rustic style. The milk isn’t always pasteurised and is sometimes mixed with goat’s milk giving it a more complex flavor.<\/p>\n

The following video shows how one of the biggest dairy companies in Mexico, Lala, makes this food staple!<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/lHbU1kZkcII<\/p>\n

Queso de bola<\/h3>\n

Queso de bola<\/em> is the one Mexican cheese that most resembles its inspiration. This cheese is also known as queso holand\u00e9s<\/em> and is basically the typical Dutch cheese called Edam that we all know and love. The cheese is made with cow’s milk and has a red wax covering. This cheese first came to the Mexico via the state of Yucat\u00e1n and, thanks to its economical price, became very popular. Eventually, the cheese made its way around the country, and is now a staple in Mexican food.<\/p>\n

Two of the most popular dishes with this cheese are the queso relleno<\/em> and las marquesitas<\/em>. Queso relleno<\/em> is exactly that: the cheese filled with a mixture of ground pork, onion, peppers, olives and capers. You can see the full recipe in this page by Larousse Cocina<\/a>. The other popular recipe with queso de bola<\/em> is for marquesitas<\/em> which is a type of crepe filled with cheese. You can see how the marquesitas are made in the video below.<\/p>\n