Cheeses of Mexico
Encyclopedia
Cheeses in Mexico have a history that begins with the Spanish conquest, as dairy products were unknown in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica
. The Spanish brought dairy animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats as well as cheese making techniques. Over the colonial period, cheese making was modified to suit the mixed European indigenous tastes of Mexicans, varying by region. This blending and variations have given rise to a number of varieties of Mexican cheeses. These are most popular in the country although European cheeses are made as well. Almost all cheese in Mexico is made with cows’ milk, with some made from goats’ milk. More recently there have been efforts to promote sheep’s milk
cheeses. Most cheeses are made with raw
(unpasteurized) milk, which has caused some health issues. Cheeses are made in the home, on small farms or ranches, and by major dairy product firms. There are somewhere between twenty and forty different varieties of cheese in Mexico, depending on how one classifies. Some, such as Oaxaca
and panela, are made all over Mexico, but many are regional cheeses known only in certain sections on the country. Some of the least common are in danger of extinction.
, permanently changing Mexican dietary habits. The Spanish also brought techniques to make cheeses from their homeland, such as manchego. Over time, the blending of European and indigenous peoples and traditions included the modification of cheeses to suit mestizo
tastes. This adaptation varied from region to region which has led to the variety of cheese produced in Mexico today.
While cheese making has always been a widespread, mostly home based, activity since colonial times, the earliest regions known for their cheese are the Altos de Jalisco
and the Comarca Lagunera
area in Coahuila
and Durango
. Both of these areas are still major producers of cheese and other dairy products. Today, major cheese producing areas also include Chihuahua, Oaxaca
, Querétaro
, Aguascalientes
, Jalisco, Guanajuato
, San Luis Potosi
, Michoacán
, Puebla
, Tlaxcala
, Toluca
and Chiapas
.
Despite centuries of cheese making experience, Mexico lags behind Europe in both quantity and variety. Most cheese made in the country is made by small concerns and farms which use raw milk and sell their products locally. While some cheeses, such as Chihuahua
and panela, have become mass produced and are made with pasteurized milk, the majority are still made locally with raw milk. Mexican cheeses are not yet standardized either by type, process or quality.
This has led to a number of instances of food poisoning linked to cheese, especially unaged, “fresh” cheeses. Cases of tuberculosis
and other diseases linked to cheese made in Mexico have led to strong restrictions against bringing the same across the U.S. border or along with air travelers entering U.S. airports. The most problematic cheeses have been panela, asadero, queso blanco, and ranchero as these are not aged and are often made with unpasteurized milk. In 2008, the Diario Oficial de la Federacion published the Norma Oficial Mexicana project, with one of its purposes being the better sanitary control of the cheeses produced in the country. One of its major provisions is the prohibition against cheeses made with raw milk. However, critics state that pasteurization is not the only way to guard against food borne illnesses and that the process kills beneficial bacteria that affect the cheeses’ taste. This is especially true of aged cheeses.
Despite this, Mexican and Mexican-style cheeses have become more common on grocery shelves in the United States. Until recently, only the fairly common cheeses were available, mostly in Mexican restaurants, such as Cotija
, sprinkled on top of certain dishes, and Oaxaca cheese, melted on tortillas. Now, companies in the U.S. are recreating many of the fresh and aged cheeses from Mexico, with some even attempting the production of lesser known varieties.
and Brazil
, Mexico is part of a region which is third in cheese production, behind Europe and the U.S. Cheese sales in Mexico were 218,000 tons in 2003, with fresh (not aged) cheeses making up over one third of the market, the largest segment. Only 126,200 tons of the cheese consumed in the country that year was produced domestically, with the rest imported. About 10% of the milk production in the country is dedicated to the making of dairy products, most of which is cheese. The overwhelming majority of cheese is made with cows’ milk. Where there are a number of cheeses made with goats’ milk they are not as popular and have gotten more difficult to find in markets. While sheepherding historically has never been a major commercial activity nationwide, efforts to since the 1980s to promote sheep milk and meat have resulted in a significant rise in the number of sheep being raised. This is promoting the development of sheep’s milk cheese in the country although it still accounts for a very small percentage. One of the major sheep producing states is Querétaro, with most of the milk destined for cheese making.
In Chiapas, personnel from the Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas have been investigating a Spanish cheese called La Serena
, which is made in the region of Extremadura
with the aim of creating a certified version of it in Mexico. This includes the importation and raising of merino sheep
as well as learning the methods behind this cheese. The reason behind the effort is that large parts of the state have a similar climate to Extremadura, making the raising of this sheep possible. Researchers have found that they can not only reproduce La Serena cheese but produce a number of other varieties as well. Despite their ability to produce milk for cheese making, most sheep in Mexico are raised for wool and meat. The merino sheep have been bred for milk production.
All Mexican cheeses are made from non fermented milk, and almost all is made from cows’ milk, with the rest from goats’ milk. Most are “fresh” cheeses, meaning that unlike aged cheeses, which are aged for weeks or months, these cheeses are aged for only days. This is not enough time to change the ph balance of the cheese to kill any harmful bacteria that may have been in the (unpasteurized) milk at the beginning of the process.
There are somewhere between twenty and forty different types of cheeses made in the country with a few made in great volume such as Chihuahua and Oaxaca. However, most are purely regional in nature with the least common of these in danger of disappearing. Only two cheeses are protected by law, Cotija and “queso de bola” of Ocosingo
, Chiapas. Since the production of Chihuahua and Oaxaca cheeses has been established outside of these states before legal protection, it is no longer possible to do so. Other cheeses have applied for this protection such as the queso molido of Zacazonapan, Mexico State, queso ranchero de cabra of Perote, Veracruz, queso molido y añejo of Tepalcatepec, Mexico State, queso porta of Tabasco
and queso crema of Chiapas.
Producers vary from large factories, which usually produce common varieties for supermarkets and other large outlets, to small farms which handcraft cheeses. Some of the better known major producers include Chilchota, Covadonga, Wallander, Esmeralda and Los Volcanes. Chilchota was the largest producer in 2003. Since then, Grupo Lala has become the largest producer in Mexico and the second largest in the United States as of 2009. Lala operates more than 35 manufacturing plants and 160 distribution centers in Mexico, Central America, and the US. Mass-produced cheese are usually sold in supermarkets and large traditional markets in modern packaging and their quality is not considered to be as good as these made by smaller concerns.
In some of the better traditional markets, such as Coyoacán and San Juan in Mexico City
, more handcrafted cheeses from small local farms can be found. In Chihuahua, cheese is made with cattle descended from those the Spanish brought and its production is still an important part of the culture. Most cheese here is most often carried out in the home or on ranches, where ranchers get up early to start the process by milking the cows and ending up with cheeses such as queso ranchero, requesón, panela and others. Locally produced or handcrafted cheeses can be found in “puestos de queseros” or cheesemongers’ stall, packed into baskets and wooden hoops, wrapped in corn husks, or pressed into flat white wide disks. Some specialty cheese producers have been invited to compete internationally. The Carlos Peraza family won a medal at the Cofradía de Quesos de Saint Maure in Touraine
, France. In Baja California
’s wine country, a notable cheese making concern is La Cava de Marcelo. This cheesemaking business is named after owner Marcelo Castro Ramonetti, who is a fourth generation cheese maker, whose family came to Mexico from Switzerland
in 1911. The facility is located four meters below ground, measures 360 meters2 and is made of crystal and stone. It has been visited by food tourists from around the world and featured on Internet sites such as chow.com. The tasting room holds forty people and the facility stores 10,000 pieces of cheese. The facility specializes in providing cheeses to gourmet restaurants and stores in Mexico. Some of their cheese age as much as two years.
Homemade cheese is still made in the country, which is often derisively referred to as “bathtub cheese.”
The national wine and cheese festival, Feria Nacional del Queso y el Vino, takes place annually in Tequisquiapan
, Querétaro at the end of May and beginning of June. The event celebrates the area’s wine and cheese tradition but also invites participants from other parts of Mexico and the world.
The overwhelming quantity of cheese produced is of native types but some purely European styles such as feta
, Spanish manchego (from goat’s milk), Saint Maure and camembert are also made. The state of Guanajuato is known for its reproduction of European cheeses, especially those from France.
The most basic Mexican cheese is queso fresco, from which other cheeses such as panela, adobera and Oaxaca have been derived. This cheese is made with whole milk but has relatively low fat and cholesterol. This is a white spongy cheese whose origins can be traced back to Burgos, Spain and used primarily to crumble over dishes. This cheese is made in just about all parts of Mexico with little variation.
Panela is another white fresh milk cheese with little fat or cholesterol. The origins of this cheese probably goes back to the Balkans or the Italian peninsula, but it have been significantly modified to Mexican tastes. It is made with skim milk, giving it a fairly firm texture, with a sweet/sour taste. In traditional markets, this cheese is often sold in baskets in which it has been molded, giving it the alternate name of queso de canasta. It is often served cold as part of an appetizer or snack tray. It is also found on sandwiches. It is found in most parts of Mexico.
Queso blanco
, also called queso sierra or queso enchilada is a creamy white cheese made with skimmed cows’ milk, and has been described as being a cross between mozzarella and cottage cheese. It is often homemade using lime juice as the coagulant, giving it a citrus flavor. Commercially, it is made with rennet
. It softens when heated but does not melt.
Requesón is a loose cheese similar to ricotta or cottage cheese, made with whole cows’ milk. Traditionally, this cheese is sold in markets wrapped in fresh corn husks. It has a light, not salty taste and used for enchiladas, tostadas, cheese spreads, cakes and more.
Chihuahua cheese
is named after the Mexican state which is home to a significant Mennonite population which created it. For this reason the cheese is also called queso menonita. The original version is semi-hard with very small holes, close to a type of cheese called “chester. This version is sold covered in cloth and paraffin wax. The taste varies from a cheddar
like sharpness to mild and is a pale yellow rather than white. Today, the cheese is made all over Mexico and is popular as a commercially produced cheese.
Mexican manchego cheese was introduced to Mexico from the Spanish region of La Mancha
, but it tastes quite different as it is made with a mixture of cows’ and goats’ milk in Mexico rather than sheep’s milk. It has a buttery taste and melts well. This cheese is made in available in all parts of Mexico and can be found in the United States as well. Normally, manchego cheese is not aged but there is an aged version called queso manchego viejo. This version is more firm and is more intense in flavor. It is often served grated over dishes. In the north of Mexico this cheese can be called asadero as well.
In other parts of Mexico, queso asadero is a different cheese, white semi soft and good for melting. It is often used to make a dish called queso fundido, similar to a fondue as well as quesadillas.
While versions are made commercially elsewhere, the Cotija cheese
made in Cotija
, Tocumbo
and Los Reyes
in Michoacán and Quitupan
, Santa María del Oro
and Jilotlán de los Dolores
in Jalisco. These communities are in the Sierra de Jal-Mich region, which straddles the two states. To receive this recognition, the cheese must also be made with pasteurized milk to prevent food borne illness. This goat cheese was developed in Mexico entirely cut has a taste and texture similar to that of Italian parmesan. It has a light golden hue and pronounced sour milk aroma. It is aged an average of 12 months and sometimes the wheels are covered in a chili pepper
paste to prevent mold. It is usually sprinkled on dishes as an accent but can be used to flavor pastas and salads. This cheese is also popular in the United States where it is both imported and made domestically. However, the U.S. made Cotija differs noticeable from its Mexican namesake as American producers add enzymes to speed up the aging process.
Queso crema or doble crema is prepared with cows’ milk fortified with additional cream. It is spreadable and its often used to prepare desserts.
Queso añejo
(literally aged cheese) is the aged version of queso fresco. It is classified as a soft cheese but well aged batches can become quite firm and salty. It is primarily used as a garnish. Queso añejo can also be found with a coating of chili pepper or “enchilado.”
Oaxaca cheese
originated in the state of Oaxaca but it is now made and eaten in just about all of Mexico and is generally found only in Mexico. It is a soft stretched curd cheese, made with cows’ milk much like asadero cheese but the cheese’s ph is modified to 5.3 in order to get the stringy texture. The cheese is then formed into ropes which are then wound into balls. The cheese can be melted especially for quesadillas, but it is often eaten pulled apart or shredded on top of prepared dishes. Oaxaca cheese can be used in place of mozzarella in salads.
Queso de bola or queso Ocosingo is produced only in Chiapas and is nearly unknown outside of the state. It is made with cows’ milk to which extra cream has been added. It has a strong flavor with a creamy, crumbly texture and a light yellow color. It is prepared with a wax coating and after a long aging period, it produces a hard shell. This shell is often hollowed out to be filled with meat preparation, then covered in banana leaves and cooked to make a dish called “queso relleno” or stuffed cheese. The hard shell that the Ocosingo cheese produces is similar to that of Edam cheese.
In addition to the cheeses mentioned above, there are a large number of regional cheeses mostly made on a small scale and little known outside their regions or communities. Porta salud is an aged semi-hard paste cheese, which has a strong flavor and an orange color. Queso jalapeño is a soft cows’ milk cheese with bits of jalapeño chili pepper served cold or melted in quesadillas. Queso criollo is a semi firm pale yellow cheese that is a specialty of Taxco
, Guerrero
. Queso corazon is a Chiapan cheese, which is a kind of very moist cream cheese. It gets its name from the fact that it is traditionally molded into a heart shape, but most modern producers now mold it into a rectangular shape. Queso Zacatecas
is an aged cheese which is usually hard on the outside and a little soft on the inside, and white with a tinge of yellow. It is crumbly and cannot be sliced. Instead it is served grated. Queso molido, also called queso prensado is sometimes covered in a red chili pepper paste. Costena cheese is a specialty of Guerrero state. The texture of this cheese is crumbly and tastes like fresh or slightly soured milk. Normally, it is white in color.
There is a small area in Veracruz
state around La Joya which is known for its smoked cheeses. These cheeses are made with whole raw cows’ milk and pressed after curdling. The cheese is often served with ham, chili peppers, epazote
and slivers of jaleapeños. Another kind of Veracruz cheese is called “marqueta.” It is a white cheese which is often coated with chili pepper paste. The Yucatan
area also makes a type of bola cheese although this version is harder all the way through and is filled with small irregular holes. Another type made here is called queso de barra, which is similar to panela.
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
. The Spanish brought dairy animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats as well as cheese making techniques. Over the colonial period, cheese making was modified to suit the mixed European indigenous tastes of Mexicans, varying by region. This blending and variations have given rise to a number of varieties of Mexican cheeses. These are most popular in the country although European cheeses are made as well. Almost all cheese in Mexico is made with cows’ milk, with some made from goats’ milk. More recently there have been efforts to promote sheep’s milk
Sheep milk
Sheep's milk is the milk of domestic sheep. Though not widely drunk in any modern culture, sheep's milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the Feta of Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the Pecorino Romano , the Pecorino...
cheeses. Most cheeses are made with raw
Raw milk
Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized.-History:Humans consumed raw milk exclusively prior to the industrial revolution and the invention of the pasteurization process in 1864. During the industrial revolution large populations congregated into urban areas detached from the...
(unpasteurized) milk, which has caused some health issues. Cheeses are made in the home, on small farms or ranches, and by major dairy product firms. There are somewhere between twenty and forty different varieties of cheese in Mexico, depending on how one classifies. Some, such as Oaxaca
Oaxaca cheese
Queso Oaxaca is a white, semihard cheese from Mexico, similar to unaged Monterey Jack, but with a mozzarella-like string cheese texture. It is named after the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, where it was first made. It is available in several different shapes. It is also known as quesillo...
and panela, are made all over Mexico, but many are regional cheeses known only in certain sections on the country. Some of the least common are in danger of extinction.
History
Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the Mesoamerican diet did not include dairy products, so cheese making was unknown. The Spanish conquistadors brought cows, goats, and sheep to the New WorldNew World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, permanently changing Mexican dietary habits. The Spanish also brought techniques to make cheeses from their homeland, such as manchego. Over time, the blending of European and indigenous peoples and traditions included the modification of cheeses to suit mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
tastes. This adaptation varied from region to region which has led to the variety of cheese produced in Mexico today.
While cheese making has always been a widespread, mostly home based, activity since colonial times, the earliest regions known for their cheese are the Altos de Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
and the Comarca Lagunera
Comarca Lagunera
The Comarca Lagunera is the 9th largest metropolitan area in Mexico, and is located between two states, Coahuila and Durango.-Geography:The Comarca Lagunera is formed by 15 municipios; 5 in Coahuila The Comarca Lagunera is the 9th largest metropolitan area in Mexico, and is located between two...
area in Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
and Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
. Both of these areas are still major producers of cheese and other dairy products. Today, major cheese producing areas also include Chihuahua, Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
, Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
, Jalisco, Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
, San Luis Potosi
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
, Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
, Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala is one of the 31 states which along with the Federal District comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipalities and its capital city is Tlaxcala....
, Toluca
Toluca
Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...
and Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
.
Despite centuries of cheese making experience, Mexico lags behind Europe in both quantity and variety. Most cheese made in the country is made by small concerns and farms which use raw milk and sell their products locally. While some cheeses, such as Chihuahua
Chihuahua cheese
Queso Chihuahua or Chihuahua cheese is a soft white cow's-milk cheese of Mexican origin available in braids, balls or rounds. The cheese is named after its place of origin, the Mexican state of Chihuahua. In Chihuahua, it is called queso menonita, after the Mennonite communities of northern...
and panela, have become mass produced and are made with pasteurized milk, the majority are still made locally with raw milk. Mexican cheeses are not yet standardized either by type, process or quality.
This has led to a number of instances of food poisoning linked to cheese, especially unaged, “fresh” cheeses. Cases of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and other diseases linked to cheese made in Mexico have led to strong restrictions against bringing the same across the U.S. border or along with air travelers entering U.S. airports. The most problematic cheeses have been panela, asadero, queso blanco, and ranchero as these are not aged and are often made with unpasteurized milk. In 2008, the Diario Oficial de la Federacion published the Norma Oficial Mexicana project, with one of its purposes being the better sanitary control of the cheeses produced in the country. One of its major provisions is the prohibition against cheeses made with raw milk. However, critics state that pasteurization is not the only way to guard against food borne illnesses and that the process kills beneficial bacteria that affect the cheeses’ taste. This is especially true of aged cheeses.
Despite this, Mexican and Mexican-style cheeses have become more common on grocery shelves in the United States. Until recently, only the fairly common cheeses were available, mostly in Mexican restaurants, such as Cotija
Cotija cheese
Cotija is a hard cow's milk cheese that originated from Mexico. It is named after the town of Cotija, Michoacán.Cotija comes in two primary versions. El queso Cotija de Montaña or "grain cheese" is dry and firm, with little taste beyond salt...
, sprinkled on top of certain dishes, and Oaxaca cheese, melted on tortillas. Now, companies in the U.S. are recreating many of the fresh and aged cheeses from Mexico, with some even attempting the production of lesser known varieties.
Production and distribution
Mexico is ranked tenth in the world for cheese production and eighth for consumption. Grouped together with ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Mexico is part of a region which is third in cheese production, behind Europe and the U.S. Cheese sales in Mexico were 218,000 tons in 2003, with fresh (not aged) cheeses making up over one third of the market, the largest segment. Only 126,200 tons of the cheese consumed in the country that year was produced domestically, with the rest imported. About 10% of the milk production in the country is dedicated to the making of dairy products, most of which is cheese. The overwhelming majority of cheese is made with cows’ milk. Where there are a number of cheeses made with goats’ milk they are not as popular and have gotten more difficult to find in markets. While sheepherding historically has never been a major commercial activity nationwide, efforts to since the 1980s to promote sheep milk and meat have resulted in a significant rise in the number of sheep being raised. This is promoting the development of sheep’s milk cheese in the country although it still accounts for a very small percentage. One of the major sheep producing states is Querétaro, with most of the milk destined for cheese making.
In Chiapas, personnel from the Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas have been investigating a Spanish cheese called La Serena
La Serena cheese
Queso de la Serena is a cheese made from Merino sheep milk in La Serena, Spain, a region of South Western Spain. The pure sheep milk is curdled using a coagulant found in the pistils of artichoke . This ingredient lends a light bitterness to the otherwise slightly salty taste. It is aged for at...
, which is made in the region of Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
with the aim of creating a certified version of it in Mexico. This includes the importation and raising of merino sheep
Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
as well as learning the methods behind this cheese. The reason behind the effort is that large parts of the state have a similar climate to Extremadura, making the raising of this sheep possible. Researchers have found that they can not only reproduce La Serena cheese but produce a number of other varieties as well. Despite their ability to produce milk for cheese making, most sheep in Mexico are raised for wool and meat. The merino sheep have been bred for milk production.
All Mexican cheeses are made from non fermented milk, and almost all is made from cows’ milk, with the rest from goats’ milk. Most are “fresh” cheeses, meaning that unlike aged cheeses, which are aged for weeks or months, these cheeses are aged for only days. This is not enough time to change the ph balance of the cheese to kill any harmful bacteria that may have been in the (unpasteurized) milk at the beginning of the process.
There are somewhere between twenty and forty different types of cheeses made in the country with a few made in great volume such as Chihuahua and Oaxaca. However, most are purely regional in nature with the least common of these in danger of disappearing. Only two cheeses are protected by law, Cotija and “queso de bola” of Ocosingo
Ocosingo
Ocosingo is a city and its surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Chiapas. The municipality borders the Usumacinta River along a portion where the river forms the international border with Guatemala. The city had a 2005 census population of 35,065 inhabitants, and serves...
, Chiapas. Since the production of Chihuahua and Oaxaca cheeses has been established outside of these states before legal protection, it is no longer possible to do so. Other cheeses have applied for this protection such as the queso molido of Zacazonapan, Mexico State, queso ranchero de cabra of Perote, Veracruz, queso molido y añejo of Tepalcatepec, Mexico State, queso porta of Tabasco
Tabasco
Tabasco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa....
and queso crema of Chiapas.
Producers vary from large factories, which usually produce common varieties for supermarkets and other large outlets, to small farms which handcraft cheeses. Some of the better known major producers include Chilchota, Covadonga, Wallander, Esmeralda and Los Volcanes. Chilchota was the largest producer in 2003. Since then, Grupo Lala has become the largest producer in Mexico and the second largest in the United States as of 2009. Lala operates more than 35 manufacturing plants and 160 distribution centers in Mexico, Central America, and the US. Mass-produced cheese are usually sold in supermarkets and large traditional markets in modern packaging and their quality is not considered to be as good as these made by smaller concerns.
In some of the better traditional markets, such as Coyoacán and San Juan in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, more handcrafted cheeses from small local farms can be found. In Chihuahua, cheese is made with cattle descended from those the Spanish brought and its production is still an important part of the culture. Most cheese here is most often carried out in the home or on ranches, where ranchers get up early to start the process by milking the cows and ending up with cheeses such as queso ranchero, requesón, panela and others. Locally produced or handcrafted cheeses can be found in “puestos de queseros” or cheesemongers’ stall, packed into baskets and wooden hoops, wrapped in corn husks, or pressed into flat white wide disks. Some specialty cheese producers have been invited to compete internationally. The Carlos Peraza family won a medal at the Cofradía de Quesos de Saint Maure in Touraine
Touraine
The Touraine is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, the Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher and Indre.-Geography:...
, France. In Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
’s wine country, a notable cheese making concern is La Cava de Marcelo. This cheesemaking business is named after owner Marcelo Castro Ramonetti, who is a fourth generation cheese maker, whose family came to Mexico from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in 1911. The facility is located four meters below ground, measures 360 meters2 and is made of crystal and stone. It has been visited by food tourists from around the world and featured on Internet sites such as chow.com. The tasting room holds forty people and the facility stores 10,000 pieces of cheese. The facility specializes in providing cheeses to gourmet restaurants and stores in Mexico. Some of their cheese age as much as two years.
Homemade cheese is still made in the country, which is often derisively referred to as “bathtub cheese.”
The national wine and cheese festival, Feria Nacional del Queso y el Vino, takes place annually in Tequisquiapan
Tequisquiapan
Tequisquiapan is a town and municipality located in the southeast of the state of Querétaro in central Mexico. The center of the town has cobblestone streets, traditional rustic houses with wrought iron fixtures, balconies, and wooden windowsills, which is the legacy of its 300 year heritage as a...
, Querétaro at the end of May and beginning of June. The event celebrates the area’s wine and cheese tradition but also invites participants from other parts of Mexico and the world.
The overwhelming quantity of cheese produced is of native types but some purely European styles such as feta
Feta
Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese,...
, Spanish manchego (from goat’s milk), Saint Maure and camembert are also made. The state of Guanajuato is known for its reproduction of European cheeses, especially those from France.
Native varieties of cheese
There are anywhere from twenty to forty varieties of cheese made in Mexico. The reason for the uncertainty is that different regions can have different names for the same cheese or different cheeses called by the same name. Most of the most popular varieties are fresh cheeses, such as queso fresco, panela and asadero. The two most popular aged cheeses are Cotija and Chihuahua. Four cheeses produced in Mexico are entirely Mexican inventions: Oaxaca, Cotija, Chihuahua and manchego. The last shares its name with the Spanish cheese, but in Spain it is made with sheep’s milk and Mexican manchego is made with cows’ or cows’ and goats’ milk. Many of Mexico’s cheeses are regional specialties, but the most common ones mentioned here are known and made throughout the country. Most of the time cheese is used to top dishes as a condiment rather than as a main ingredient.The most basic Mexican cheese is queso fresco, from which other cheeses such as panela, adobera and Oaxaca have been derived. This cheese is made with whole milk but has relatively low fat and cholesterol. This is a white spongy cheese whose origins can be traced back to Burgos, Spain and used primarily to crumble over dishes. This cheese is made in just about all parts of Mexico with little variation.
Panela is another white fresh milk cheese with little fat or cholesterol. The origins of this cheese probably goes back to the Balkans or the Italian peninsula, but it have been significantly modified to Mexican tastes. It is made with skim milk, giving it a fairly firm texture, with a sweet/sour taste. In traditional markets, this cheese is often sold in baskets in which it has been molded, giving it the alternate name of queso de canasta. It is often served cold as part of an appetizer or snack tray. It is also found on sandwiches. It is found in most parts of Mexico.
Queso blanco
Queso blanco
Queso blanco, along with other similar cheeses including queso fresco, is a creamy, soft, and mild unaged white cheese that originated in Spain and spread to Mexico and other American countries...
, also called queso sierra or queso enchilada is a creamy white cheese made with skimmed cows’ milk, and has been described as being a cross between mozzarella and cottage cheese. It is often homemade using lime juice as the coagulant, giving it a citrus flavor. Commercially, it is made with rennet
Rennet
Rennet is a complex of enzymes produced in any mammalian stomach to digest the mother's milk, and is often used in the production of cheese. Rennet contains many enzymes, including a proteolytic enzyme that coagulates the milk, causing it to separate into solids and liquid...
. It softens when heated but does not melt.
Requesón is a loose cheese similar to ricotta or cottage cheese, made with whole cows’ milk. Traditionally, this cheese is sold in markets wrapped in fresh corn husks. It has a light, not salty taste and used for enchiladas, tostadas, cheese spreads, cakes and more.
Chihuahua cheese
Chihuahua cheese
Queso Chihuahua or Chihuahua cheese is a soft white cow's-milk cheese of Mexican origin available in braids, balls or rounds. The cheese is named after its place of origin, the Mexican state of Chihuahua. In Chihuahua, it is called queso menonita, after the Mennonite communities of northern...
is named after the Mexican state which is home to a significant Mennonite population which created it. For this reason the cheese is also called queso menonita. The original version is semi-hard with very small holes, close to a type of cheese called “chester. This version is sold covered in cloth and paraffin wax. The taste varies from a cheddar
Cheddar
Cheddar is a large village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of the English county of Somerset. It is situated on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, north-west of Wells. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Nyland and Bradley Cross...
like sharpness to mild and is a pale yellow rather than white. Today, the cheese is made all over Mexico and is popular as a commercially produced cheese.
Mexican manchego cheese was introduced to Mexico from the Spanish region of La Mancha
La Mancha
La Mancha is a natural and historical region or greater comarca located on an arid, fertile, elevated plateau of central Spain, south of Madrid, stretching between the Montes de Toledo and the western spurs of the Serrania de Cuenca. It is bounded on the south by the Sierra Morena and on the north...
, but it tastes quite different as it is made with a mixture of cows’ and goats’ milk in Mexico rather than sheep’s milk. It has a buttery taste and melts well. This cheese is made in available in all parts of Mexico and can be found in the United States as well. Normally, manchego cheese is not aged but there is an aged version called queso manchego viejo. This version is more firm and is more intense in flavor. It is often served grated over dishes. In the north of Mexico this cheese can be called asadero as well.
In other parts of Mexico, queso asadero is a different cheese, white semi soft and good for melting. It is often used to make a dish called queso fundido, similar to a fondue as well as quesadillas.
While versions are made commercially elsewhere, the Cotija cheese
Cotija cheese
Cotija is a hard cow's milk cheese that originated from Mexico. It is named after the town of Cotija, Michoacán.Cotija comes in two primary versions. El queso Cotija de Montaña or "grain cheese" is dry and firm, with little taste beyond salt...
made in Cotija
Cotija, Michoacán
Cotija is a municipality located in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipality has an area of 504.05 square kilometres , and is bordered to the north by Jiquilpan and Villamar, to the east by Tocumbo, and to south by the state of Jalisco. The municipality had a population of 18,207...
, Tocumbo
Tocumbo
Tocumbo is a municipality in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipality has an area of 506.85 square kilometres and is bordered to the north by Tingüindín, to the east by Los Reyes, to south by the state of Jalisco, and to the west by Cotija. The municipality had a population of 8,820...
and Los Reyes
Los Reyes, Michoacán
Los Reyes is a municipality in the western part of the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipality has an area of 480.09 square kilometres and is bordered to the north by the municipality of Tangancícuaro, to the east by Charapan, to the southeast by Uruapan, to the south by Peribán, to the...
in Michoacán and Quitupan
Quitupan
Quitupan is a town and municipality located in the southeastern region of the Mexican state of Jalisco. The name Quitupan comes from the word "Quitoa" or "Quitla," which means "place where declarations or treaties come from" or "place that is located above".-History:The formal indigenous...
, Santa María del Oro
Santa María del Oro, Jalisco
Santa María del Oro is a town and municipality, in Jalisco in central-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 403.88 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 2,653....
and Jilotlán de los Dolores
Jilotlán de los Dolores
Jilotlán de los Dolores is a town and municipality, in Jalisco in central-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 1511.78 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 8,579....
in Jalisco. These communities are in the Sierra de Jal-Mich region, which straddles the two states. To receive this recognition, the cheese must also be made with pasteurized milk to prevent food borne illness. This goat cheese was developed in Mexico entirely cut has a taste and texture similar to that of Italian parmesan. It has a light golden hue and pronounced sour milk aroma. It is aged an average of 12 months and sometimes the wheels are covered in a chili pepper
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
paste to prevent mold. It is usually sprinkled on dishes as an accent but can be used to flavor pastas and salads. This cheese is also popular in the United States where it is both imported and made domestically. However, the U.S. made Cotija differs noticeable from its Mexican namesake as American producers add enzymes to speed up the aging process.
Queso crema or doble crema is prepared with cows’ milk fortified with additional cream. It is spreadable and its often used to prepare desserts.
Queso añejo
Añejo cheese
Añejo cheese is a firm, aged Mexican cheese traditionally made from skimmed goat's milk but most often available made from skimmed cow's milk. After it is made it is rolled in paprika to add additional flavor to its salty sharp flavor, which is somewhat similar to Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese,...
(literally aged cheese) is the aged version of queso fresco. It is classified as a soft cheese but well aged batches can become quite firm and salty. It is primarily used as a garnish. Queso añejo can also be found with a coating of chili pepper or “enchilado.”
Oaxaca cheese
Oaxaca cheese
Queso Oaxaca is a white, semihard cheese from Mexico, similar to unaged Monterey Jack, but with a mozzarella-like string cheese texture. It is named after the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, where it was first made. It is available in several different shapes. It is also known as quesillo...
originated in the state of Oaxaca but it is now made and eaten in just about all of Mexico and is generally found only in Mexico. It is a soft stretched curd cheese, made with cows’ milk much like asadero cheese but the cheese’s ph is modified to 5.3 in order to get the stringy texture. The cheese is then formed into ropes which are then wound into balls. The cheese can be melted especially for quesadillas, but it is often eaten pulled apart or shredded on top of prepared dishes. Oaxaca cheese can be used in place of mozzarella in salads.
Queso de bola or queso Ocosingo is produced only in Chiapas and is nearly unknown outside of the state. It is made with cows’ milk to which extra cream has been added. It has a strong flavor with a creamy, crumbly texture and a light yellow color. It is prepared with a wax coating and after a long aging period, it produces a hard shell. This shell is often hollowed out to be filled with meat preparation, then covered in banana leaves and cooked to make a dish called “queso relleno” or stuffed cheese. The hard shell that the Ocosingo cheese produces is similar to that of Edam cheese.
In addition to the cheeses mentioned above, there are a large number of regional cheeses mostly made on a small scale and little known outside their regions or communities. Porta salud is an aged semi-hard paste cheese, which has a strong flavor and an orange color. Queso jalapeño is a soft cows’ milk cheese with bits of jalapeño chili pepper served cold or melted in quesadillas. Queso criollo is a semi firm pale yellow cheese that is a specialty of Taxco
Taxco
Taxco de Alarcón is a small city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Guerrero. The name Taxco is most likely derived from the Nahuatl word tlacheco, which means “place of the ballgame.” However, one interpretation has the name coming from the word tatzco which means “where the father...
, Guerrero
Guerrero
Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
. Queso corazon is a Chiapan cheese, which is a kind of very moist cream cheese. It gets its name from the fact that it is traditionally molded into a heart shape, but most modern producers now mold it into a rectangular shape. Queso Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
is an aged cheese which is usually hard on the outside and a little soft on the inside, and white with a tinge of yellow. It is crumbly and cannot be sliced. Instead it is served grated. Queso molido, also called queso prensado is sometimes covered in a red chili pepper paste. Costena cheese is a specialty of Guerrero state. The texture of this cheese is crumbly and tastes like fresh or slightly soured milk. Normally, it is white in color.
There is a small area in Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
state around La Joya which is known for its smoked cheeses. These cheeses are made with whole raw cows’ milk and pressed after curdling. The cheese is often served with ham, chili peppers, epazote
Epazote
Epazote, wormseed, Jesuit's tea, Mexican tea, Paico or Herba Sancti Mariæ is an herb native to Central America, South America, and southern Mexico....
and slivers of jaleapeños. Another kind of Veracruz cheese is called “marqueta.” It is a white cheese which is often coated with chili pepper paste. The Yucatan
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
area also makes a type of bola cheese although this version is harder all the way through and is filled with small irregular holes. Another type made here is called queso de barra, which is similar to panela.
See also
- Mexican cuisineMexican cuisineMexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later...