As Latin cuisine becomes more prevalent worldwide, demand for its authentic cheeses has risen along with its popularity. Although Latin American cheeses have similarities to their Spanish and Portuguese roots, different climates, elevations and flora allowed for new cheese-making techniques to develop. Latin types of cheese savory flavors blend European and indigenous traditions, while incorporating American natural resources such as plantains and peppers for instance. But, what defines a Latin cheese? According to Bill Hoesly, product manager for Wisconsin Cheese Group, “Quite often when you mention you’re in a company making Hispanic cheese, people think it’s hot, spicy cheese and it is the opposite. It’s a fresh, clean dairy flavor used to complement the spices in recipes.” The three basic styles of Latin cheeses are fresh cheeses, which comprise the largest category, along with non-melting cheeses such as queso fresco, queso blanco, enchilado, para freir and panela. The second most popular are the melting cheeses, which include Oaxaca and queso quesadilla. Dry, hard and crumbling cheeses comprise the third category and include cotija, queso seco, cincho and queso duro. Here are11 Latin cheeses your life will not be complete without any longer.
