"Rhonda" > wrote in message
...
> What is your favorite Mexican cheese and how do you use it. I am
> beginning to see quite an assortment of Mexican cheese in local grocery
> stores.
>
You are lucky! A selection of Mexican cheeses is great!
Queso de Oaxaca is my favorite. It's string cheese sold in a bola (ball) and
eaten by selecting a pinch and pulling it into a string and eating it as an
appetizer or delicacy.

Then comes queso fresco (fresh cheese) which is a soft mozzarella type
without much flavor but used abundantly in chile relleno, topping
quesadillas, or fundido (lightly sauté and served with bread to scoop up the
cheese like in a fondu).

Queso Cotija is kind of in between queso fresco and anejo (old). All are
white cheeses. Yellow cheese in Mexico is hard to find.

You can grate Cotija or slice it or dice it and is used everywhere cheese is
enjoyed.

Cheeses are not normally components in pre-Columbian Mexican recipes since
they appeared only when the conquerors brought their cows and goats to the
continent.

When they did appear, the Mother Teresa of Puebla combined them with native
ingredients and came up with some wonderful combinations, such as chile
relleno.