Mexico
Most of the popular Mexican cheeses are fresh cheeses, such as queso fresco, panela and asadero. The two most popular aged cheeses are Cotija and Chihuahua, according to the Wikipedia article on the cheeses of Mexico.
Almost all cheese in Mexico is made from cow's milk, and some is made from goat's milk. Most of it is made with raw (unpasteurized) milk.
Mexico makes between 20 and 40 kinds of cheese, depending on how you count them. Oaxaca and panela are made all over the country, but many others are regional cheeses known only in certain areas.
Most of the time, Mexican cooks put cheese on top of a dish rather than using it as a main ingredient.
Before the Spanish arrived, people in Mexico and the rest of Mesoamerica did not eat dairy foods. The Spanish brought cattle, goats and sheep, along with their ways of making cheese.
What are the main types of Mexican cheeses?
Fresh Mexican cheeses
Queso fresco is the most basic of the fresh Mexican cheeses. Panela and Oaxaca were both developed from it.
Panela is mostly unsalted and softens without melting. Asadero, from Chihuahua, is mild and melts well.
Soft Mexican cheeses
Soft Mexican cheeses include Queso Para Frier, which keeps its shape when cooked, so people often fry it. Queso Blanco con Frutas is a soft cow's milk cheese flavored with pineapple and mango.
Semi-hard Mexican cheeses
Oaxaca is one of the semi-hard Mexican cheeses. It is stretched into long ropes that are wound into balls, and its texture is like mozzarella or string cheese.
Criollo comes from the area around Taxco in Guerrero and browns well under a grill. Añejo enchilado, from Zacatecas, is rolled in paprika and tastes salty and sharp.
Aged Mexican cheeses: Cotija and Chihuahua
Chihuahua cheese was created by the Mennonite community in the state of Chihuahua, so it is also called queso menonita.
Cotija is a firm, salty Mexican cow's milk cheese from the town of Cotija in Michoacán. Cooks crumble or grate it over tacos, soups and elote.
Which Mexican cheeses have a collective trademark?
As of 2016, the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property had granted a collective trademark to four cheeses:
- Queso Cotija (Michoacán, 2005)
- Queso de Bola de Ocosingo (Chiapas, 2005)
- Queso de Poro de Balancán (Tabasco, 2012)
- Queso Crema de Cuadro (Chiapas, 2013)
To use the Cotija trademark, the cheese must be made with pasteurized milk in certain towns of Michoacán and Jalisco, in the Sierra de Jal-Mich region.
Mexican Cheeses
Mexican Cheese Questions
What are the most popular Mexican cheeses?
Most of the popular Mexican cheeses are fresh ones, such as queso fresco, panela and asadero. The two most popular aged cheeses are Cotija and Chihuahua. Four cheeses were invented entirely in Mexico: Oaxaca, Cotija, Chihuahua and Mexican manchego. Mexican manchego shares its name with the Spanish cheese but is made with cow's milk or cow's and goat's milk.
Which Mexican cheeses melt well?
Asadero, Oaxaca, Chihuahua and Mexican manchego all melt well. Cooks often use asadero for queso fundido and quesadillas, and Oaxaca also melts well in quesadillas. Chihuahua has a mild, buttery flavor that suits quesadillas and nachos. Panela and queso blanco soften when heated but do not melt, so panela can be fried.
Is Mexican cheese made from goat's milk?
Almost all cheese in Mexico is made from cow's milk. Some is made from goat's milk, but goat cheeses are less popular and have become harder to find in markets. Asadero is made from cow's and goat's milk, and añejo enchilado can be made from either. Sheep's milk cheese is still a very small share.
What is Chihuahua cheese made of?
Chihuahua cheese is made from cow's milk, either pasteurized or unpasteurized. It is named after the Mexican state of Chihuahua, where the Mennonite community created it, so it is also called queso menonita. It is pale yellow, and its taste ranges from mild to sharp like cheddar. The original version is sold covered in cloth and paraffin wax.
Which Mexican cheese is like mozzarella or Parmesan?
Oaxaca cheese has a texture like mozzarella or string cheese, and you can use it instead of mozzarella in salads. Queso blanco has been described as a cross between mozzarella and cottage cheese. Cotija tastes like Parmesan and has a similar texture. Añejo enchilado also tastes salty and sharp, close to Parmesan.
Is cheese from Mexico pasteurized?
Most cheese in Mexico is made with raw (unpasteurized) milk. Some mass-produced cheeses, such as Chihuahua and panela, use pasteurized milk. Cases of listeriosis and tuberculosis linked to cheese made in Mexico led the US to strictly limit bringing it across the border. Mexico's 2008 cheese standards ban the sale of cheese made with raw milk.