Panela
Panela is a fresh Mexican cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk, sold in bright white inverted cones. Its flavor is bland because the cheese is mostly unsalted, and it softens without melting, so it can be fried or crumbled over food.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Mexico |
| Specific Origin | Mexico |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurized |
| Texture | Fresh firm, artisan |
| Flavor | Bland, mostly unsalted |
| Aroma | Fresh, mild |
| Colors | White |
| Forms | Inverted cone, 500 g (18 oz) to 2 kg (4.4 lb) |
| Also Known As | Queso Panela, queso canasta, queso de la canasta |
What is Panela Cheese?
Panela is a fresh cheese common in Mexico, made from pasteurized cow's milk. It is also called queso canasta or queso de la canasta, names that go back to the Greek word for basket cheese. The cheese has similarities to the Indian cheese paneer.
Nobody agrees on exactly where panela came from. Some place its origin in the Balkan peninsula or the Mezzogiorno, where other rustic cheeses are moulded in baskets. The name is disputed too: one explanation points to the baskets of bread (pan in Spanish) used as moulds, while another says the cheese simply resembles piloncillo, the unrefined whole cane sugar known as panela across much of Mexico.
Markets sell it as a white, inverted conical cheese in pieces of roughly 500 g (18 oz) to 2 kg (4.4 lb). The colour is bright white. The flavor is bland, since the cheese is mostly unsalted.
Panela often works as a garnish, or as a filling once crumbled. It can be fried because it holds its shape and does not melt very easily. Heat softens it, but it will not go gooey the way some other cheeses do. Cooks use it in enchiladas, tacos, nopal salads and quesadillas.
Regional differences and varying degrees of maturation produce variation within the panela family. The version from the evergreen mountain town of Tapalpa stands out.
How Does Panela Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Panela against.
