I'm from the area around Eagle Pass, Texas and have lived in San
Antonio & Austin. I now live in Richmond, VA and am wondering about a
rather insipid pre-dinner "cheese dip" that accompanies the bowl of
salsa at the table in local Mexican restaurants.

I've never seen this before I came to Virginia. It's more like a
bland, creamy white salad dressing and is a number of points down the
scale from the velveeta/Rotel glop that passes for chile con queso in
many places. Where did this come from? It sure ain't like any thing
I've run across in my eating of Mexican food in places as diverse as
Centralia, WA, Salem, OR, Arizona, New Mexico, many place in Texas,
Idaho, Colorado, Illinois, Kennett Sq, PA, and Westchester County, NY
(there's an area there with suprisingly good comida there; a lot of
Long Island landscaping crews live in the area). I won't even consider
this to be interior of Mexico food. At least I hope it isn't.

Any ideas about how this dismal dish got started? Several of the
original Mexican restaurants in town are actually run by Lebanese from
Zacatecas & Durango. I've never seen anything like this in Lebanese
food either. It sure ain't made with yoghurt or labneh.

Ted

On May 11, 5:20?am, wrote:

> I've never seen this before I came to Virginia. It's more like a
> bland, creamy white salad dressing and is a number of points down the
> scale from the velveeta/Rotel glop that passes for chile con queso in
> many places. Where did this come from?

Can any dairy product really be authentically "Mexican"?

Like most humble things thought of as inherently "Mexican", dipping
cheese can probably be traced back to
Spain and the Maghreb.

On May 11, 6:35?am, Rechazo Todo > wrote:

> Can any dairy product really be authentically "Mexican"?

Queso fundido...

fun?di?do -da

past part.
see fundir
adj.
(hecho l?quido) melted, liquefied

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queso_Chihuahua

El queso Chihuahua es un queso blanco de vaca de leche de origen
mexicano disponible en diversas formas: circular, como bloque o
ladrillo o como pelota. Denominado Chihuahua por ser originario del
estado mexicano del mismo nombre. Junto con el Queso Oaxaca es
denominado Asadero por tener propiedades de fundido, pero a
diferiencia del Oaxaca se funde m?s suavemente llegando solo a formar
fibras.

Se llama tambi?n queso menonita, despu?s de que la comunidad menonita
del norte de M?xico fuera quien primero lo produjera. Este queso ahora
es hecho por menonitas y no menonitas a trav?s de todo el pa?s.



http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queso_Oaxaca

El Queso Oaxaca es un queso blanco y medio duro de origen mexicano,
llamado tambi?n asadero es semejante al Queso Gouda o el Mozzarella,
pero de sabor mucho m?s suave. Debido a sus excelentes cualidades de
fundido, el queso asadero se utiliza con frecuencia como la base para
un aperitivo muy popular en restaurantes mexicanos, consitente en
asadero fundido y chorizo rojo.

Se denomina Oaxaca por su lugar de procedencia, (el estado mexicano de
Oaxaca) donde fue primereramente hecho. El proceso de producci?n es
complicado e implica en ocasiones estirar el queso en tiras largas y
luego enrollarlo para hacer una pelota del hilos de queso. Se conoce
tambi?n como quesillo o queso de hebra cuando est? formado como una
pelota, y como queso asadero cuando est? formado como un ladrillo. El
mozzarella es otro queso que utiliza este procesado de estirado.

Es muy utilizado en la cocina t?pica mexicana, tal como en las
quesadillas, que es la tortilla con queso y flor de calabaza,
chicharr?n u otro ingrediente.

wrote:
> I'm from the area around Eagle Pass, Texas and have lived in San
> Antonio & Austin. I now live in Richmond, VA and am wondering about a
> rather insipid pre-dinner "cheese dip" that accompanies the bowl of
> salsa at the table in local Mexican restaurants.
>
> I've never seen this before I came to Virginia. It's more like a
> bland, creamy white salad dressing and is a number of points down the
> scale from the velveeta/Rotel glop that passes for chile con queso in
> many places. Where did this come from? It sure ain't like any thing
> I've run across in my eating of Mexican food in places as diverse as
> Centralia, WA, Salem, OR, Arizona, New Mexico, many place in Texas,
> Idaho, Colorado, Illinois, Kennett Sq, PA, and Westchester County, NY
> (there's an area there with suprisingly good comida there; a lot of
> Long Island landscaping crews live in the area). I won't even consider
> this to be interior of Mexico food. At least I hope it isn't.
>
> Any ideas about how this dismal dish got started? Several of the
> original Mexican restaurants in town are actually run by Lebanese from
> Zacatecas & Durango. I've never seen anything like this in Lebanese
> food either. It sure ain't made with yoghurt or labneh.
>
> Ted
>

Sounds like you may be thinking of Queso Fundido (Cheese Dip).
Usually made with white cheeses and chilies. I've never had it taste
like creamy white salad dressing but it is usually spicy and watered
down with something so you can dip with it. Many recipes on the Internet
if you want to search for one.

On May 11, 10:49 am, Sonoran Dude > wrote:
> wrote:
> > I'm from the area around Eagle Pass, Texas and have lived in San
> > Antonio & Austin. I now live in Richmond, VA and am wondering about a
> > rather insipid pre-dinner "cheese dip" that accompanies the bowl of
> > salsa at the table in local Mexican restaurants.
>
> > I've never seen this before I came to Virginia. It's more like a
> > bland, creamy white salad dressing and is a number of points down the
> > scale from the velveeta/Rotel glop that passes for chile con queso in
> > many places. Where did this come from? It sure ain't like any thing
> > I've run across in my eating of Mexican food in places as diverse as
> > Centralia, WA, Salem, OR, Arizona, New Mexico, many place in Texas,
> > Idaho, Colorado, Illinois, Kennett Sq, PA, and Westchester County, NY
> > (there's an area there with suprisingly good comida there; a lot of
> > Long Island landscaping crews live in the area). I won't even consider
> > this to be interior of Mexico food. At least I hope it isn't.
>
> > Any ideas about how this dismal dish got started? Several of the
> > original Mexican restaurants in town are actually run by Lebanese from
> > Zacatecas & Durango. I've never seen anything like this in Lebanese
> > food either. It sure ain't made with yoghurt or labneh.
>
> > Ted
>
> Sounds like you may be thinking of Queso Fundido (Cheese Dip).
> Usually made with white cheeses and chilies. I've never had it taste
> like creamy white salad dressing but it is usually spicy and watered
> down with something so you can dip with it. Many recipes on the Internet
> if you want to search for one.

I know queso fundido from my former cu~ados restaurant in S.A. and
from the Diana Kennedy books. This stuff is chilled and is pretty bad.
It's most like Ranch Dressing with minimal flavor...

Ted

PS: Made pollo pibil last weekend. With banana leaves. I used apple
wood in my big cooker. It was damn good. Going to rub a turkey with
recado rojo tonight and start cooking tomorrow at 5:00AM for my son's
college graduation.. can't banana leaves big enough for a turkey...
<snarf>

On May 11, 10:10 am, wrote:

> PS: Made pollo pibil last weekend. With banana leaves. I used apple
> wood in my big cooker. It was damn good. Going to rub a turkey with
> recado rojo tonight and start cooking tomorrow at 5:00AM for my son's
> college graduation.. can't banana leaves big enough for a turkey...
> <snarf>-

How about spatchcocking that turkey, or going the extra step and just
splitting it into halves, so you could get those banana leaves around
it?

Congratulations to your son, and best wishes. With a dad who, I hope,
taught him how to cook, he'll be off to a good start in independent
living.

David

On May 11, 2:00 pm, dtwright37 > wrote:
> On May 11, 10:10 am, wrote:
>
> > PS: Made pollo pibil last weekend. With banana leaves. I used apple
> > wood in my big cooker. It was damn good. Going to rub a turkey with
> > recado rojo tonight and start cooking tomorrow at 5:00AM for my son's
> > college graduation.. can't banana leaves big enough for a turkey...
> > <snarf>-
>
> How about spatchcocking that turkey, or going the extra step and just
> splitting it into halves, so you could get those banana leaves around
> it?

Nah. I didn't do that. (spatchcocking? yo no se..)

>
> Congratulations to your son, and best wishes. With a dad who, I hope,
> taught him how to cook, he'll be off to a good start in independent
> living.

Hell, he's been working in restaurants since he was a high school
junior and did his high school senior project apprenticing to a local
chef and has been a chef or sous chef in several restaurants already.
Which is good, since his degree is in sociology.

He's also been working in food banks and for meals on wheels type
things, too.

Ted