Queso Chihuahua

{{Short description|Mexican soft white cheese}} thumb|A taco from the state of Puebla, Mexico, made with a poblano chile stuffed with queso Chihuahua thumb|right|250px|Mennonite Cheese, chester style from Chihuahua. This cheese is cut and packaged in the shape of the state of Chihuahua. In Mexico, '''queso Chihuahua''' is commonly recognized as a soft white cheese available in braids, balls or rounds and originates in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. In Chihuahua and neighboring states, it is called ''queso menonita'', after the Mennonite communities of Northern Mexico that first produced it, while elsewhere it is called ''queso Chihuahua''.<ref name="Texas Monthly">{{cite journal|last=Coupon|first=William|title=Side By Side|journal=Texas Monthly|date=April 1989|volume=17|issue=4|pages=118–125|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TC4EAAAAMBAJ&dq=queso+chihuahua&pg=PA119|access-date=31 August 2011|publisher=Texas Monthly, Inc.|issn=0148-7736}}</ref><ref name="Authentic Mexican">{{cite book|last=Bayless|first=Rick|author-link=Rick Bayless|title=Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico|year=2007|publisher=William Morrow|isbn=978-0-06-137326-8|pages=327|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lCkXPPSrXXEC&dq=queso+chihuahua&pg=PT584|others=With Deann Groen Bayless}}</ref> This cheese is now made by both Mennonites and non-Mennonites throughout the state and is popular all over the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chihuahua Cheese |url=https://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--38687/chihuahua-cheese.asp |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=RecipeTips.com}}</ref>

Queso Chihuahua is good for melting and is similar to a mild white Cheddar or Monterey Jack.<ref name="Authentic Mexican"/> It may be used in ''queso fundido'' (fondue style melted cheese), ''choriqueso'',<ref>{{Cite web|title=ChoriQueso|url=https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/85788/choriqueso/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=Allrecipes|language=en}}</ref>'' quesadillas, chilaquiles, chili con queso'', or sauces.<ref name="gs">{{cite web|access-date=2007-10-15|publisher=Gourmet Sleuth|title=Guide to Mexican Cheeses|url=http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/mexicancheeses.htm|archive-date=2007-10-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015040718/http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/mexicancheeses.htm|url-status=usurped}}</ref> The physicochemical specifications for Chihuahua cheese are 45% maximum moisture, 26% minimum butterfat, 22% minimum milk protein, 55% minimum total solids, 6.5% maximum ash, and a pH of 5.0 to 5.5.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2011-09-20 |title=El crecimiento de la Federación de Rusia en las importaciones de mantequilla es limitado pero las importaciones de queso continúan su crecimiento |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/agr_outlook-2011-graph97-es |access-date=2022-10-16 |doi=10.1787/agr_outlook-2011-graph97-es |language=es|trans-title=Russian Federation growth in butter imports limited but cheese imports continue rising|journal=OCDE-FAO Perspectivas Agrícolas|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=GourmetSleuth |title=Mexican Cheese |url=https://www.gourmetsleuth.com/articles/detail/mexican-cheeses |access-date=2022-10-16 |website=Gourmet Sleuth |language=en-US |archive-date=2019-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512184448/https://www.gourmetsleuth.com/articles/detail/mexican-cheeses |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

== See also == * List of cheeses * Cheeses of Mexico

== References == {{Reflist}}

Category:Chihuahua (state) Category:Mexican cheeses Category:Mennonite cuisine Category:Mennonitism in Mexico