DELIVERY 15 KMS DRIVE FROM MELBOURNE CBD ONLY : 1kg Oaxaca cheese

DELIVERY WITHIN 15KM MELBOURNE METRO ONLY as items are frozen/refrigerated.

Oaxaca cheese [pronounced wah-ha-kah] is a white, semi-soft cow’s milk cheese from Mexico. The flavor is mellow and buttery, similar to a string cheese, with a creamy texture and a slight saltiness to it. It’s perfect for melting and is similar to mozzarella or unaged Monterey jack cheese.

In Mexico you can buy it on the streets of Oaxaca city (where the name comes from) where you get it as fresh as it comes. It is very stringy and not strong what makes it perfect for melting on quesadillas, tostadas but can also be used fresh in strings as toppings for soups and tostadas. There is no other cheese that is more traditional than Oaxaca. This recipe was develoed by Poblano and is locally made for us in Victoria, Australia.

History

It is named after the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, where it was first made. The string cheese process (pasta filata), originally from Italy, which is used to produce mozzarella, was brought to Mexico by the Dominican friars that settled in Oaxaca. As water buffalo milk was unavailable, they used cow’s milk, instead. The cheese is available in several different shapes.

Production

The production process is complicated and involves stretching the cheese into long ribbons and rolling it up like a ball of yarn using the pasta filata process. Another cheese made with this method is mozzarella.^[2]

Outside Mexico

Oaxaca cheese is often confused with asadero (queso asadero), a cheese produced in the northern state of Chihuahua. They are similar in texture, but they are produced with different methods, making Oaxaca cheese more moist.^[4]

In Costa Rica, it is known as Queso Palmito. The name is due to the similarity to the stringy consistency of heart of palm (palmito), and it is produced in the San Carlos and Zarcero cantons of Alajuela Province. ^[5][6]

In Nicaragua and El Salvador the cheese is known as Quesillo.^[6]

In Venezuela is known as queso de mano and in Colombia it is used in hot chocolate!

OAXACA CHEESE:

Ingredients

Pasteurised Cows Milk, Rennet (Non animal), Citric Acid, Salt

Flavour

Mild and clean flavour

Texture

Stringy and moist

Serving Suggestions

On Mexican dishes, sandwiches, platters, perfect for quesadillas