Day 19 of the A to Z Blogging Challenge and…
“Q” is for QUESO BLANCO
Similar to yesterday’s cheese, paneer, queso blanco is a soft and unripened cheese. From Mexico, it’s made out of pure cow’s milk or a combination of cow and goat’s milk. The term queso blanco in Spanish means ‘white cheese,’ but similar cheeses have their own names in different regions. Because it is not ripened, queso blanco is also known as queso fresco or fresh cheese.
Due to its short maturation process, the cheese is extremely simple to make at home. The procedure for making the cheese is similar to Indian paneer, which includes boiling whole fresh milk, adding an acidifying agent (like lemon juice or vinegar) to form the curds and then draining the curds in a cheesecloth.
The texture and flavor of queso blanco is mild, firm and crumbly. It softens without melting, a characteristic very important in Latin American cooking. Try crumbling queso blanco on salads, over rice and beans or serve it as a table cheese with fresh fruit, marmalade or chutney.
I enjoy hearing what country the cheese comes from. So many of the cheeses seem to be “old recipies” from the “old country.” Are there any New Kids On the Block (no pun intended, but appreciated)?” Zulu
It’s true, I don’t have too many new and/or American/artisanal cheeses here. I guess I leaned toward the historical aspects. 🙂
Because the people of India call their cheese “paneer” and the people of Mexico call it “queso blanco!” If you make it, let me know how it comes out, Sharon. There are also You Tube videos for it.
Okay, so what am I missing? If the recipe is the same, why aren’t they the same cheese? Or are they with just different names to reflect the cuisine that created them? I am making this cheese (or paneer or both) next week. I need to buy whole milk as we never have it in the house. Lemons from my tree I got!