Queso Blanco
Queso blanco is the white, fresh cheese of Latin America, made by curdling hot milk with an acid such as vinegar. No rennet or culture goes into it, and depending on the country it is crumbled over soups, fried as queso frito, or melted into quesadillas.
Key Facts
| Specific Origin | Latin America |
| Milk Type | Cow |
| Texture | Soft |
| Colors | White |
| Rennet Type | None |
| Also Known As | queso fresco, queso blanco del país |
What is Queso Blanco?
Queso blanco is the Spanish name for the white cheeses of Latin America, known as queijo branco in Portuguese. What the name refers to shifts by country and even by region, from the hard llanero of Venezuela to fresh Minas cheese in Brazil.
It is one of the easier cheeses to make. Whole fresh milk is heated to near boiling, an acidifying agent such as vinegar is added, and the mix is stirred until curds form. The curds then drain in cheesecloth for three to five hours, which is why these are also called bag cheeses. Many Mexican home cooks make their own instead of buying it, starting in the early afternoon so it drains by the evening meal.
No rennet and no bacterial culture are involved. Press it and remove more water and it becomes queso seco. Texture ranges from very tender types such as queso de mano to the firm, salty cheese fried in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico. Most versions only soften over heat, though some, like Oaxaca cheese, melt.
People eat it on its own, crumble it over soups and salads, and scatter it on spicy dishes such as enchiladas and empanadas. Meltable versions go into quesadillas. In Puerto Rico it is fried and paired with guava paste. In Venezuela the hard kind is grated over pasta and over pabellón, the national dish. Some parts of the world use it for cheesecake.
The cheese does not keep. Once the whey has drained out it needs refrigeration or immediate use.
How Does Queso Blanco Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Queso Blanco against.
