The market · Dairy and eggs · The Americas

Queso fresco

Mexico's fresh cheese — mild, milky, a little salty and crumbly. It softens with heat but doesn't really melt.

milky · fresh · tangy

What to do with it

Classics built on it
MexicanChiles en nogadaRoasted poblano chillies stuffed with a picadillo of meat and fruit, under a cold walnut cream and scattered with pomegranate and parsley.No one here has made it yetPeruvianRocoto rellenoRocoto chillies, blanched to tame them, stuffed with spiced beef, peanuts and raisins, topped with cheese and baked.No one here has made it yet

Kinds

Queso fresco
Crumbly and moist.
Cotija
Aged, dry and salty; for grating.
Queso Oaxaca
Stretched and stringy; the melting one.

If you can't find it

Latin American grocers.

  1. 1Feta
    The same weight, soaked in water for an hour
    You lose feta stays tangier.

Goes with

black beantomatillocorianderavocado

Knowing it

Where to buy
Latin American grocers. A mild feta, rinsed, is the nearest swap.

Kitchens that keep it in

MexicoMexicanMaize, chillies and fire: a cooking thousands of years deep, built on nixtamalised corn, a whole spectrum of dried chillies, and salsas at every meal.11 classics

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