Cotija

What is Cotija Cheese?

Cotija takes its name from Cotija, a town in Michoacán, Mexico. It is an aged cow's milk cheese, and the people who make it live in the mountains as high as 1,700 m (5,600 ft), which is why it also goes by queso de montaña, cheese of the mountains.

Every one is made by hand, so no two are quite alike. Milk from local cattle is salted before fermentation, and the curds are milled into small pieces before pressing and aging. Production runs through summer and fall. Queso Cotija de Montaña is made only from July to October, when the cows feed on the rich grass that grows naturally on the mountains during the rainy season, and that grass gives the cheese its color and flavor.

The cheese is white and firm with a salty, milky flavor, and it usually comes in 28 kg (62 lb) cylinders with a cream-colored crust. Young Cotija tastes something like a mild feta. Aged añejo Cotija lands closer to Parmesan. The mountain version is several times saltier than typical cheese, traditionally so it would keep better. A variety called Tajo is moister, fattier and less salty, holds its shape when cut, and tastes similar to Greek feta. Heat softens Cotija without melting it, and in the mouth it breaks back down to a sandy, grain-like consistency.

In Mexican cooking it works as a finishing cheese, crumbled or grated over burritos, soups, salads, beans, tostadas, tacos and elote. Feta or queso fresco can stand in for fresh Cotija, while ricotta salata, Parmesan or Romano substitute for the aged kind. It also replaces the Salvadoran queso duro in dishes such as the Salvadoran quesadilla, a sweet bread closer to pound cake.