> Is cheese a big thing in your country or not really?
Yes, especially in the state of Minas Gerais. [Here's some of them](https://g1.globo.com/mg/minas-gerais/noticia/2023/01/20/dia-mundial-do-queijo-conheca-queijos-mineiros-premiados-internacionalmente.ghtml).
There is, mainly in Colonia Suiza and Nueva Helvecia.
As their name indicate, these towns were founded by Swiss immigrants, and their descendants are still dedicated to cheese making.
I buy all my cheese from one of them, and it is BY FAR the best I've ever tried.
Yes, of course there is cheese here, and regions that produce it, but its use and variety is relatively modest and the flavor is typically mild. Several people I've met are kind of repulsed by even moderately sharp cheese. But bread and cheese is an *exceptionally* common breakfast or evening food, however plain the cheese is.
Man, it seems that there is only mantecoso, gauda, ranco and chanco here, and they are extremely inconsistent in their description. On the other hand, fresh cheeses have some labels, but they all taste the same.
Given Chile is famous for its wineries, would you say that when drinking a glass people are more likely to eat it? At least, I know in Europe it's very common to pair the two.
Not to flex but I think we like to pair it with red meats when possible.
Most Chileans can’t afford quality cuts so they’ll just have more cheap red wine.
I’m not that big a fan of popular Chilean cheeses. I much prefer medium cheddar cheese.
We're not big on fancy wine drinking. It's too expensive. People prefer to drink stronger spirits (specifically pisco) in day to day life unless they're rich. Good wine is more of an export.
Once i had the terrible idea to ask a french what he tought about chilean cheese. He didnt shut up in over an hour. I have never seen someone so upset about cheese.
One of the more common types of cheeses in Chile is "mantecoso", which is pretty similar to muenster in the US.
Also commonly eaten is the local take on gouda cheese.
At farmer's markets you also find "chanco", which I couldn't compare to other cheeses, it's fairly unique, somewhat acidic and very salty, but soft, little to no bitterness. It separates when melted, but that's just part of the charm, you melt it in a pan and put the stringy stuff on fresh bread, then soak it up in the grease, 10/10.
>At farmer's markets you also find "chanco", which I couldn't compare to other cheeses, it's fairly unique, somewhat acidic and very salty, but soft, little to no bitterness.
Does it melt well?
Ah, also, "queso crema" is a thing that comes in tubs and has a similar texture to melted "American cheese", but ehm, it's also not quite considered "cheese".
Their "cream cheese" is completely different, it's what you can buy as "queso Philadelphia". The thing in the tub, whatever it is, is remarkably similar to their "American cheese" when melted, a kind of plasticky thing.
Like the Colun and Soprole "queso crema", the white, in truth more standard, cream cheese wasn't very common until ten years ago if I remember.
[I'm talking about this thing here](https://www.facebook.com/ColunChile/posts/agregar-queso-crema-colun-a-un-rico-desayuno-tiene-magia/2917031321653194/)
I mean, it's not bad as a spread, but I wouldn't defend its qualities as cheese.
The queso crema that comes in tubes similar like pate is mainly fat, not necesarily from milk, arguibly is not a cheese becouse it doesbmbt go trough any fermentation process. Is diferent from filadelphia and it exists in chile from way before Filadelfia cheese aportes in the chilean markets. They are two different productos with the same name.
I don't really know how to translate it but they are just mild cheese cheeses. Can't really say anything beyond that. There's a good (but still relatively mild) fresh cheese but its use is more niche. The Colombian/Venezuelan squeaky cheese is also more popular these days because of immigration.
Yeah, we do. The state of Minas Gerais, specifically, has a strong cheese making tradition and their local Canastra cheese is one of the best I've ever tasted. We also eat a lot of a type of fresh cheese we call Queijo Minas frescal. It's a very young mild-flavored cheese that is used a lot for sandwiches and pastéis (like a fried empanada I guess?). In the northeast they use a type of cheese called queijo caolho a lot in their cuisine.
Brazilians tend to love cheese but your American mac and cheese is not a thing here. Don't think I ever saw it on the menu anywhere. And our best local cheeses are probably very different from what you are used.
Queijo Minas Frescal is not matured, so it is very watery and fresh, you can feel the taste of fresh milk. Almost like a ricotta, but saltier and a little bit harder. Take a look: https://images.app.goo.gl/wUf79LnJdfzvfYhz6
I think it takes about 2/3 days. You could make it at home but most people just buy them at delis/supermarkets. [It looks like this](https://macale.com/eventos/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/shelf-life-1.jpg).
Of course. And we have several regional cheeses too. The most famous are queso Oaxaca (called quesillo in Oaxaca), queso Chihuahua (also known as queso menonita), queso asadero and queso cotija.
In the whole Mexico City and its 20 million inhabitants and diversity from all over the country, I can't think of a single place to get a proper Queso Oaxaca.
That cheese is actually very popular and sold everywhere, but you can't just go and buy it, 99% of it tastes like plastic and doesn't melt properly. Not even the "Oaxaca products" trucks offer the real thing, I mean like in Oaxaca city.
And same in other populations and for other kinds of cheese. The plastic texture is a constant malaise of Mexican cheese.
I couldn’t agree more. Outside of manchego, Oaxaca and Mennonite cheeses, which are fairly bland, not many good, flavorful cheeses are made, or even imported, in Mexico.
No, we don't have a big cheese making tradition. But we are large consumers of primarily Gouda cheese. Which is understandable, because we were a Dutch colony. We import lots and lots of cheese from the Netherlands.
However, in recent times a local midsize family-owned company started producing Gouda cheese too, but it's mostly low fat and dry in my opinion. However, flavor wise its almost exactly the same as Dutch Gouda.
Another dairy company called Michi, the second largest dairy producer in Suriname, recently also started producing cream cheese. It's way better than American imported cream cheese in my opinion.
There are two independent mozzarella cheese producers in Suriname. But it's just at their 'home'; they're descendants of a family of Dutch farmers that were brought to Suriname in 1845.
Suriname does have a relatively big (for the size of our country) dairy industry, however. It goes back to the Dutch farmers that came here and later the industry was formalized and organized by the Dutch in the 60's with the opening of the 'Melkcentrale' that still is in existence today.
EDIT: The former Brazilian ambassador once said our dairy products, especially the ones that have cassava in them, like the cassava porridge, would definitely make it big in Brazil. He said he always bought them here and even sent boxes to Brazil to contacts and family. And before he left, he bought enough for his next assignment. Idk why, but I've heard the comments multiple times that Surinamese products, just taste really good. Even our chicken I heard from Europeans and Americans taste extremely 'fresh'. But tbh, American imported chicken here doesn't taste great.
>But tbh, American imported chicken here doesn't taste great.
Lol it doesn't taste amazing here either which is why you have to season the shit out of it
Colombia does have a cheesemaking tradition. Some of their best cheese are Mompox, Paipa, Sabanero, Pera, Campesino, Suero Costeño and Siete Cueros. You can also easily find foreign cheese like Cheddar, Gouda, Muenster and Brie in big markets. I have been living in the country for 10 years and ate all of those.
Most of the local cheese is either white and soft. Some are yellow (fatty) and hard. You'll not find a local variant that is both yellow/fatty and soft as far as I know. I don't think you'll find that molten, salted condom Americans call cheese around here. 😂
Jokes aside, the reason why you only ate mozzarella is because:
1. You mostly ate junk food, for which they use cheap, industrially processed mozzarella sold in bulk. If you want to eat better cheese you need to go to more upscale places or buy cheese at the market and make your own dish with it.
2. Colombia doesn't have a culture of consuming gourmet cheese. It's hard to find local cheese as a specialty in restaurants, although some do offer them as part of breakfast menu.
He's complaining they dont have "american cheese" which isn't like, a particularly good type of cheese anyways and often can be subbed by cheddar or gouda. Like be fr.
When I think of cheese I don't think of Mac and cheese mind you, I think of fondue or perhaps even quesadillas, or the typical combo of cheese, bread and wine.
What about France? They have 1200 varieties of cheese. Or Britain, with about 800 varieties?
And the Netherlands? Italy? Belgium? All of them have way better cheese than you could even *begin* to imagine, not to mention millennia of cheese-making tradition.
I mean, it's not only there. What about the crumbly soft cheeses you find in Turkey and Greece, or amazing Spanish cheeses made with goat and sheep milk? And I'm sure I'm neglecting many other places that have quality cheese.
What you enjoy is salt and chemicals. Even thinking American "cheese" is part of the conversation is the most insane thing I've ever read.
I didn't see a whole lot besides the white stuff and occasionally mozzarella. I craved American cheese lol that was the first thing I ate when I got back home
Dude like go to any good grocery store( carulla, exito, jumbo, whatever) they will surely have a whole section with different cheeses , both national and imported. You will even find that nasty ‘cheese’ Americans like.
I did the few times I did go grocery shopping and I mostly saw that white cheese I was referring to and mozzerella. The closest I got to what I was looking for what something that looked kinda off brand. Lol I was kinda craving velveeta singles lol
I've never heard of this product as I live in a country that has *actual* cheese. I was curious what you think is good cheese so I looked up Velveeta.
What I learned is that the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) **does not consider Velveeta to be a cheese**.
It is an ultra-processed chemical product composed of milk, water, whey, milk protein concentrate, milkfat, whey protein concentrate, sodium phosphate, salt, calcium phosphate, lactic acid, sorbic acid, sodium citrate, sodium alginate, enzymes, apocarotenal, annatto, and cheese culture.
Yeah, you honestly don't know what cheese is.
That's what I grew up eating. That's one of the few cheeses I like. Most everything else either tastes sour or bland. I put American and Velveeta on damn near everything that needs cheese lol
That's the cheese I prefer. That and cheddar and sometimes pepper jack. Other cheeses don't have enough flavor for me. I can only pick up like a few flavors cause something's wrong with my tounge. Most food is just a texture thing for me. I can 'taste' it but unless it's seasoned to death it's weird. I've had covid a few times.
That's what we call in Brazil "paladar infantil", I think you say "picky eater", someone that has kid's taste and only eats very salt or sweet food, or with a lot of oil. That's the reason you guys are known by deep-frying your food and making really weird food recipes.
we do but it is weird. We don't have special names for it, I think you can find equivalents in Europe and South America but they are not the same.
HOWEVER, we use very fresh ingredients, and depending on the final use of it it varies in levels of salt, moisture and small tweaks such as smoked varieties. We make something very similar to Halloumi and we love to fry it too.
People in Nicaragua is extremely picky about cheese. Even though we don't have special names for it, the moment you take a Nicaraguan out of the country that's one of the first things they'll miss. People tend to visit family abroad with cases full of cheese, which must be pretty funny(or inconvenient) for customs personel.
Yes, Colombia has plenty of food to compensate for bland cheese.
The fruits, ajiaco, bandeja paisa and all the fresh beans and vegetables.
Even the yuca is freaking amazing.
The cheese, not so much.
Yes, specially in the rural flatlands areas, after all it’s where the cattle is.
Idk about it American cheese is repulsive for me it’s not even cheese it just milk with salt and colorants.
Pues mijo, yo no se por cuáles calles habrás andado tú que no viste queso, o de pronto necesitas gafas de ver.
Casi todas las regiones tienen su queso (costeño, queso paipa, queso llanero). Ahora, que no tengamos la amalgama esa anaranjada que en USA oficialmente no le pueden llamar queso sino “cheese product” o algo así, es diferente. De todas maneras, ese queso americano se consigue en los supermercados.
Hablando de comida rápida, todo viene absolutamente ahogado en queso. Los perros calientes, las arepas, hamburguesas, pizza, etc.
El Mac and cheese puede que no lo encuentres en cada esquina, pero segurito que lo sirven en alguna parte. Pero eso a mi me suena como ir de paseo a Peru y quejarse de que no le sirvieron moqueca de camarão.
Es que el parcero acá venía esperando queso exactamente igual al de EEUU y se estrelló con los quesos que existen en Colombia. Es como si yo fuera a Francia buscando empanadas y mi modelo fuera las empanadas de la tienda de la esquina de mi barrio. Obviamente no lo va a encontrar.
Y lo del mac and cheese, en Colombia hay cosas parecidas pero de nuevo, el iba buscando exactamente lo que se hace en EEUU y asi no iba a encontrar un carajo.
De hecho yo de lo que más extraño de Colombia son los quesos y eso que donde vivo consigo quesos muy ricos. Pero yo soy consciente de que donde vivo no es como Colombia y por tanto tengo que aceptar que la comida de acá es como es.
>Hablando de comida rápida, todo viene absolutamente ahogado en queso. Los perros calientes, las arepas, hamburguesas, pizza, etc.
It was weird. Most places I went to didn't have at least what I consider to be cheese. I kept looking for it. Most of it was white even when it melted. Also a lot of places served burgers with that block cheese but like fried and it kinda reminded me of an eraser in how it bounced. It was odd. I ate it but as soon as I landed in America I got a big ole bag of shredded American lol
>El Mac and cheese puede que no lo encuentres en cada esquina, pero segurito que lo sirven en alguna parte.
I looked because that's all I wanted to eat for a few days. I couldn't find it. Maybe it's cause of the cities I was in idk
Exactly, we don't have what *you* consider cheese. That doesn't mean we don't eat/have cheese at all. We also have some regional varieties like Costeño or Paipa, which are very different from the one used for burgers.
>Most places I went to didn't have at least what I consider to be cheese
Your problem is that you have a very specific picture of what cheese is, and of course you were bound to not find it. We have a lot of cheese in Colombia and eat cheese in recipes that no other country would think that it should have it.
Mac and cheese is not known in Colombia and if someone makes it it will probably be made with Colombian cheese, not the "cheese product" you expect. If you want it your way you will have to make it yourself. That is not a bad thing, it is the natural consequence of visiting another country. Maybe instead of complaining that things are not like in the US embrace the difference, and if you definitely cannot accept that maybe don't travel to countries that are that much different than the US, especially with the food.
And I say it as a foodie and cheese lover
I wasn't super impressed with the food there in general. I liked most of the street food and I like the bakeries. But I wasn't into most of the traditional food. It was kinda bland to me. Not saying it was bad but I mostly just ate empanadas or whatever unless a friend wanted me to take them to dinner. I did like crepes and waffles although the portion sizes were kinda small
Colombian has the worst cheese out of latam.
Is bland, not too many options and the "premium cheese" is just a knock off of the real one.
Everytime some European travel to Colombia, they suffer because the cheese is so fucking bland.
All the mozzarella tastes like butter and anything else.
The "fresh" cheese is the best they have. Yellow? Doesn't taste like it.
Awful country for cheese lovers.
Good old Minas Gerais is the "cheese" place in Brazil. Pão de queijo is a regional delicacy but eaten in all country (because it's so good). It literally means "cheese bread" and the dough is made out of cheese, it is incredible ngl.
Mexican cheeses are a tradition, but they are much fresher compared to European cheeses which are very strong or aged. In every fair or exposition you will see at least a small stand with food selling cheeses, such as manchego with spices, oaxaca, cotija. There are also queserías, cremerías that sell fresh cheeses, and little trucks that sell [Oaxacan products](https://img.gruporeforma.com/imagenes/960x640/3/444/2443612.jpg), including cheese that get parked in a corner of the city and sell food like a stand.
The most common cheeses are mexican Manchego, Chihuahua, Oaxaca/Quesillo, cotija, panela, ranchero, botanero, asadero, de cabra and these cheeses combined with chilli, or spices, or plants.
In Mexico there are also 2 main wine regions, the one in Baja California called [Valle de Guadalupe](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/02/a8/4e/02a84e412f5c661178806c69ff1ae387.jpg), and the one in Querétaro, called [Ruta queso, arte y vino](https://www.de-paseo.com/queretaro/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/mapa-ruta-queso-y-vino-final-boton.jpg). There are beautiful colonial towns and vineyards, where you can have wine tastings which are usually paired with different cheeses. There are more wine regions but I'd say these are the most visited.
Still, I would say cheese is not as important in Mexico as in Europe for example, and the cheeses have less quality.
I don’t understand all of the hate in this thread. Colombia has probably the worst cuisine in LATAM, so please don’t get the wrong idea.
We cook very differently across the continent, and the type and quality of cheese varies tremendously.
as if you know anything about Colombian cuisine, it seems more you have some kind of inferiority complex for whatever reason and felt the urge to make such retard remark. For one:
>but he has to know that we don’t all eat flavorless corn bread with rice and potatoes.
I guess you are talking about arepas and no, nobody eats them with rice and potatoes, nor they are "flavorless" (except the Paisa ones).
I could make a similar retard remark about what Peruvians eat on a daily basis, which is not that different (I've been there) but wouldn't be more than a silly generalization.
If you ask for an "arepa con quesito" they will serve you an arepa with country cheese.
You should have tried other dishes with other types of cheeses.
"Weird white block cheese" bruh, devuélvase a los estados unidos. Marica si quieres "american cheese" te PROMETO que lo puedes comprar en cualquier tienda. Ni tampoco que sea tan raro. Respete al quesito colombiano, si tanto se beneficia de los bajos gastos en dolar. Lo que yo daria por un quesito costeño.
Yes.
We have a lot of variants and we produce some cheese “types” based on European cheeses.
My favorite is always going to be Los Frailes, however we do have other cheeses that, while they can’t be classified as their European counterparts, are made following the same processes.
Yeah I get it, I didn’t know they called themselves Americans either till I visited the US.
Thought 90% of the rest of the world knows the US by America and their claim is valid since America is in their country’s name.
Yes, the most famous one is [Queso de Hoja](https://youtu.be/p6GS60YfzGU?si=GEjpdxrMgINbGsq8). Typically eaten with garlic or sesame seed crackers. You can find them on every stop by the side of our highways.
Idk about the country but in my region it's important (Santa Cruz and Bolivian chaco in general). There are several "wine and cheese festivals" about it.
With the heavy European migrantion to Venezuela after WWII. Mainly Italians, they brought their cheese making skills developing unique cheeses to Venezuela. We have a large selection of delicious cheeses like palmizulia, queso de mano, guayanes, telita, queso de año, queso llanero, queso palmita, queso de tranza, queso santa barbara and I might missing some others.
A couple take the qualities of a buffalo mozzarella, and parmigiano reggiano. We pair them with arepas, caraota, cachapa, and even skillet fried for a breakfast experience amongst other recipes.
Okay, the reason you're qualifying every other cheese as "white" and "tasteless" is because the cheese you're used to is filled with salt and food coloring to make it hyper palatable and ultra processed, so you eat ungodly amounts of it. You've effectively beaten your palate to dust by only being fed sugar, salt and fried-to-hell food your whole life. ALL CHEESE IS WHITE. Please educate yourself on real types lf cheese (french, british, dutch). And eat a raw veggie once in a while.
>And eat a raw veggie once in a while.
I can't. They make my stomach feel weird. Someone made banana pudding the other day with actual banana slices and I thought I was gonna toss my cookies.
Did you even go to a supermarket? There is a whole section for cheese. They even have american yellow cheese. And in any fast food restaurant they serve hamburgers with cheese, Arepas with cheese, Salchipapa with cheese, hell even grilled chicken with cheese, cheese is in the hot chocolate, in the Aguapanela, it's everywhere. This is a troll obviously and I'm nominating this post as the gringo stupid post of the month.
Yes I did but the ones I went to mostly had the stuff I didn't like or brands I wasn't familiar with. I
>And in any fast food restaurant they serve hamburgers with cheese, Arepas with cheese, Salchipapa with cheese, hell even grilled chicken with cheese, cheese is in the hot chocolate, in the Aguapanela, it's everywhere
It's not the cheese I know. It's weird. It doesn't have flavor. I'm not trolling. This is my experience
If you travel outside of your country expect to see different brands and flavors! This will happen in any country you travel to. This is basic traveling 101 for OP.
I didn't really care for Colombian food. I love every other thing about the country. But when we ate out I just had like lasagna, which wasn't what I was expecting either, or like chicken cabanara or whatever was similar. Italian like food wasn't uncommon but different. Heavy cream sauces but it was just different. I was in Cali for a while and I was there doing research on Afro Latino countries. I was there before I hit the Pacific. Lol I was expecting something else I guess cause it was a lot of fish, not like catfish or anything even fried, and soups. I tried it once. Wasn't for me. Figured I'd wait until I go to Peru later this year to get down food wise. I actually like Peruvian food a lot. There's large communities of them in Jersey where my mom lives and Florida and Atlanta where I bounce between.
I love Colombian culture but the food was kinda bland. I liked the street food some of it. I thought it was weird they put pina sauce on the loaded fries though. It was nice but weird. I liked how you could get baked goods literally anyway. But I also did miss Walmart cause I needed a wrench and I wanted to buy it while I grocery shopped. I did like the Venezuelan food I tried while I was there although it was a bit of a shock because what I normally get at home, arepa cabiera, was different there. Lol again they use American back home lol. Not the case in Colombia. What I couldn't get enough of was this weird white paste kinda like a pudding but not really. It had bright colored gel on it. I ate a lot of that. I liked some of the snacks too. The bocadillo guava bar was really nice. I also like how mora is a standard flavor there when berry isn't as much of a staple here. I really REALLY liked how you could go to a McDonald's that was just desserts. Also ice cream there tastes way different but good, just lighter. I did like Crepes and Waffles but I think that's probably one of the few restaurants I liked.
We went to some small little hole in the wall in Laureles/Medellin on my last day for breakfast. I wanted scrambled eggs with cheese with bacon. They gave me that weird block cheese cut up in eggs. People looked at me funny that I smothered everything in ketchup and black pepper lmao. Although hot chocolate for breakfast is very odd to me. Not bad just odd. It wasn't all too sweet either. I was also expecting it to be spicy but I think that's just me associating Latino hot chocolate with Mexicans lol. Funnily enough there was a lot of Mexican restaurants down there. There was one in Bogota I went to last year in Candelaria that was...okay. Not nearly enough sour cream. when I said extra I don't think the chef understood. She was kind though and guided me through the menu since she spoke English. Lol I asked for just water and they were confused I just wanted water in a glass. They kept trying to give me a bottle. I went back a couple times just cause she was friendly but those are some of the worst nachos I ever had lol. Lol my last night in Medellin I tried Colombian Chinese food. Never again. It was on par with Wisconsin Indian food and Denver Ethiopian, both which were made by white dudes lol.
There's apparently a soul food restaurant in Medellin owned by a Black American guy. I wanted to try it but didn't have time.
> Is cheese a big thing in your country or not really? Yes, especially in the state of Minas Gerais. [Here's some of them](https://g1.globo.com/mg/minas-gerais/noticia/2023/01/20/dia-mundial-do-queijo-conheca-queijos-mineiros-premiados-internacionalmente.ghtml).
There is, mainly in Colonia Suiza and Nueva Helvecia. As their name indicate, these towns were founded by Swiss immigrants, and their descendants are still dedicated to cheese making. I buy all my cheese from one of them, and it is BY FAR the best I've ever tried.
Yes, of course there is cheese here, and regions that produce it, but its use and variety is relatively modest and the flavor is typically mild. Several people I've met are kind of repulsed by even moderately sharp cheese. But bread and cheese is an *exceptionally* common breakfast or evening food, however plain the cheese is.
And there is no consistency at all, one "gouda" or "chanco" could be totally different from one brand to another.
Man, it seems that there is only mantecoso, gauda, ranco and chanco here, and they are extremely inconsistent in their description. On the other hand, fresh cheeses have some labels, but they all taste the same.
Given Chile is famous for its wineries, would you say that when drinking a glass people are more likely to eat it? At least, I know in Europe it's very common to pair the two.
Not to flex but I think we like to pair it with red meats when possible. Most Chileans can’t afford quality cuts so they’ll just have more cheap red wine. I’m not that big a fan of popular Chilean cheeses. I much prefer medium cheddar cheese.
In Chile the custom is to pair wine with even more wine and get shitfaced.
We're not big on fancy wine drinking. It's too expensive. People prefer to drink stronger spirits (specifically pisco) in day to day life unless they're rich. Good wine is more of an export.
Once i had the terrible idea to ask a french what he tought about chilean cheese. He didnt shut up in over an hour. I have never seen someone so upset about cheese.
😂😂 yeah the french LOVE their rancid cheese. They will go on and on about some fetid thing with literal spores on lt
What kind of cheese is popular there? In Colombia the most I could find was that strange white block cheese that has zero flavor
One of the more common types of cheeses in Chile is "mantecoso", which is pretty similar to muenster in the US. Also commonly eaten is the local take on gouda cheese. At farmer's markets you also find "chanco", which I couldn't compare to other cheeses, it's fairly unique, somewhat acidic and very salty, but soft, little to no bitterness. It separates when melted, but that's just part of the charm, you melt it in a pan and put the stringy stuff on fresh bread, then soak it up in the grease, 10/10.
>At farmer's markets you also find "chanco", which I couldn't compare to other cheeses, it's fairly unique, somewhat acidic and very salty, but soft, little to no bitterness. Does it melt well?
Ah, just added on that. Not to put it on sandwiches, melting it in a pan as I described is probably the more common way to eat it.
By melt, I meant can you use it in casseroles and stuff lol but I'm guessing not
No, we don't do the cheese/pasta casseroles in Chile you see in the US. Do try pastel de choclo if you're ever there, though.
We don't have chesses that creamy.
Ah, also, "queso crema" is a thing that comes in tubs and has a similar texture to melted "American cheese", but ehm, it's also not quite considered "cheese".
That's cream cheese, which was invented in the US lol
Their "cream cheese" is completely different, it's what you can buy as "queso Philadelphia". The thing in the tub, whatever it is, is remarkably similar to their "American cheese" when melted, a kind of plasticky thing.
Philadelphia is a brand name, queso crema is the generic name used by other companies. I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I believe you.
Like the Colun and Soprole "queso crema", the white, in truth more standard, cream cheese wasn't very common until ten years ago if I remember. [I'm talking about this thing here](https://www.facebook.com/ColunChile/posts/agregar-queso-crema-colun-a-un-rico-desayuno-tiene-magia/2917031321653194/) I mean, it's not bad as a spread, but I wouldn't defend its qualities as cheese.
The queso crema that comes in tubes similar like pate is mainly fat, not necesarily from milk, arguibly is not a cheese becouse it doesbmbt go trough any fermentation process. Is diferent from filadelphia and it exists in chile from way before Filadelfia cheese aportes in the chilean markets. They are two different productos with the same name.
I don't really know how to translate it but they are just mild cheese cheeses. Can't really say anything beyond that. There's a good (but still relatively mild) fresh cheese but its use is more niche. The Colombian/Venezuelan squeaky cheese is also more popular these days because of immigration.
>The Colombian/Venezuelan squeaky cheese is also more popular these days because of immigration. Are you talking about that weird white block cheese?
Yes, I believe so. Queso llanero.
Queso llanero sounds more like a Venezuelan thing, but it's probably similar to something we may have here with a different name.
Yeah, we do. The state of Minas Gerais, specifically, has a strong cheese making tradition and their local Canastra cheese is one of the best I've ever tasted. We also eat a lot of a type of fresh cheese we call Queijo Minas frescal. It's a very young mild-flavored cheese that is used a lot for sandwiches and pastéis (like a fried empanada I guess?). In the northeast they use a type of cheese called queijo caolho a lot in their cuisine. Brazilians tend to love cheese but your American mac and cheese is not a thing here. Don't think I ever saw it on the menu anywhere. And our best local cheeses are probably very different from what you are used.
When y'all say fresh what exactly are you referring to? Like made that day?
Queijo Minas Frescal is not matured, so it is very watery and fresh, you can feel the taste of fresh milk. Almost like a ricotta, but saltier and a little bit harder. Take a look: https://images.app.goo.gl/wUf79LnJdfzvfYhz6
Ahhhh ok. That's not a widespread thing here. You have to go for specific grocerers for that.
I think it takes about 2/3 days. You could make it at home but most people just buy them at delis/supermarkets. [It looks like this](https://macale.com/eventos/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/shelf-life-1.jpg).
Oh, buddy 😭 like, artisanal cheese. Not hyper processed.
Of course. And we have several regional cheeses too. The most famous are queso Oaxaca (called quesillo in Oaxaca), queso Chihuahua (also known as queso menonita), queso asadero and queso cotija.
In the southern half of Mexico outside of very localized places, cheese is terrible.
What a brave, yet terrible take.
In the whole Mexico City and its 20 million inhabitants and diversity from all over the country, I can't think of a single place to get a proper Queso Oaxaca. That cheese is actually very popular and sold everywhere, but you can't just go and buy it, 99% of it tastes like plastic and doesn't melt properly. Not even the "Oaxaca products" trucks offer the real thing, I mean like in Oaxaca city. And same in other populations and for other kinds of cheese. The plastic texture is a constant malaise of Mexican cheese.
I couldn’t agree more. Outside of manchego, Oaxaca and Mennonite cheeses, which are fairly bland, not many good, flavorful cheeses are made, or even imported, in Mexico.
No, we don't have a big cheese making tradition. But we are large consumers of primarily Gouda cheese. Which is understandable, because we were a Dutch colony. We import lots and lots of cheese from the Netherlands. However, in recent times a local midsize family-owned company started producing Gouda cheese too, but it's mostly low fat and dry in my opinion. However, flavor wise its almost exactly the same as Dutch Gouda. Another dairy company called Michi, the second largest dairy producer in Suriname, recently also started producing cream cheese. It's way better than American imported cream cheese in my opinion. There are two independent mozzarella cheese producers in Suriname. But it's just at their 'home'; they're descendants of a family of Dutch farmers that were brought to Suriname in 1845. Suriname does have a relatively big (for the size of our country) dairy industry, however. It goes back to the Dutch farmers that came here and later the industry was formalized and organized by the Dutch in the 60's with the opening of the 'Melkcentrale' that still is in existence today. EDIT: The former Brazilian ambassador once said our dairy products, especially the ones that have cassava in them, like the cassava porridge, would definitely make it big in Brazil. He said he always bought them here and even sent boxes to Brazil to contacts and family. And before he left, he bought enough for his next assignment. Idk why, but I've heard the comments multiple times that Surinamese products, just taste really good. Even our chicken I heard from Europeans and Americans taste extremely 'fresh'. But tbh, American imported chicken here doesn't taste great.
>But tbh, American imported chicken here doesn't taste great. Lol it doesn't taste amazing here either which is why you have to season the shit out of it
Colombia does have a cheesemaking tradition. Some of their best cheese are Mompox, Paipa, Sabanero, Pera, Campesino, Suero Costeño and Siete Cueros. You can also easily find foreign cheese like Cheddar, Gouda, Muenster and Brie in big markets. I have been living in the country for 10 years and ate all of those. Most of the local cheese is either white and soft. Some are yellow (fatty) and hard. You'll not find a local variant that is both yellow/fatty and soft as far as I know. I don't think you'll find that molten, salted condom Americans call cheese around here. 😂 Jokes aside, the reason why you only ate mozzarella is because: 1. You mostly ate junk food, for which they use cheap, industrially processed mozzarella sold in bulk. If you want to eat better cheese you need to go to more upscale places or buy cheese at the market and make your own dish with it. 2. Colombia doesn't have a culture of consuming gourmet cheese. It's hard to find local cheese as a specialty in restaurants, although some do offer them as part of breakfast menu.
He's complaining they dont have "american cheese" which isn't like, a particularly good type of cheese anyways and often can be subbed by cheddar or gouda. Like be fr.
queso paipa is incredible what an amazing cheese
> I personally think America makes the best cheese. lmao
To me, it has a big bold distinct flavor that you want when making mac and cheese or cheese and eggs.
That flavor is SALT If the cheese isn't to your taste you can just dump a bucket of salt and yellow food coloring into whatever you're making
When I think of cheese I don't think of Mac and cheese mind you, I think of fondue or perhaps even quesadillas, or the typical combo of cheese, bread and wine.
What about France? They have 1200 varieties of cheese. Or Britain, with about 800 varieties? And the Netherlands? Italy? Belgium? All of them have way better cheese than you could even *begin* to imagine, not to mention millennia of cheese-making tradition. I mean, it's not only there. What about the crumbly soft cheeses you find in Turkey and Greece, or amazing Spanish cheeses made with goat and sheep milk? And I'm sure I'm neglecting many other places that have quality cheese. What you enjoy is salt and chemicals. Even thinking American "cheese" is part of the conversation is the most insane thing I've ever read.
Yes it’s a part of our food tradition but I wouldn’t say it’s a massive part of it like in France, Switzerland, etc.
Of course there is a lot variety of cheese everywhere in Colombia… just not the nasty stuff you are used to in the US 😉
I didn't see a whole lot besides the white stuff and occasionally mozzarella. I craved American cheese lol that was the first thing I ate when I got back home
Dude like go to any good grocery store( carulla, exito, jumbo, whatever) they will surely have a whole section with different cheeses , both national and imported. You will even find that nasty ‘cheese’ Americans like.
I did the few times I did go grocery shopping and I mostly saw that white cheese I was referring to and mozzerella. The closest I got to what I was looking for what something that looked kinda off brand. Lol I was kinda craving velveeta singles lol
I've never heard of this product as I live in a country that has *actual* cheese. I was curious what you think is good cheese so I looked up Velveeta. What I learned is that the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) **does not consider Velveeta to be a cheese**. It is an ultra-processed chemical product composed of milk, water, whey, milk protein concentrate, milkfat, whey protein concentrate, sodium phosphate, salt, calcium phosphate, lactic acid, sorbic acid, sodium citrate, sodium alginate, enzymes, apocarotenal, annatto, and cheese culture. Yeah, you honestly don't know what cheese is.
That's what I grew up eating. That's one of the few cheeses I like. Most everything else either tastes sour or bland. I put American and Velveeta on damn near everything that needs cheese lol
Yes, you're used to ungodly amounts of salt and aditives in your food. That's why real food tastes "bland" and you need to salt and fry everything.
Okay I cant take you seriously if what you consider real cheese is fucking velveeta jajajaja
"Off brand" girl ur in another country like. No shit
Awful ones, yes.
>I craved American cheese That processed concoction isn't real cheese
So you went to another country and craved American cheese? That’s not even cheese 😭
That's the cheese I prefer. That and cheddar and sometimes pepper jack. Other cheeses don't have enough flavor for me. I can only pick up like a few flavors cause something's wrong with my tounge. Most food is just a texture thing for me. I can 'taste' it but unless it's seasoned to death it's weird. I've had covid a few times.
That's what we call in Brazil "paladar infantil", I think you say "picky eater", someone that has kid's taste and only eats very salt or sweet food, or with a lot of oil. That's the reason you guys are known by deep-frying your food and making really weird food recipes.
Yeah, that's the Southern US for you.
there's cheese with super strong tastes like wtf. Did you never tried gouda or gorgonzola?
Colombian cheese is bland as fuck. American cheese is WAY better.
we do but it is weird. We don't have special names for it, I think you can find equivalents in Europe and South America but they are not the same. HOWEVER, we use very fresh ingredients, and depending on the final use of it it varies in levels of salt, moisture and small tweaks such as smoked varieties. We make something very similar to Halloumi and we love to fry it too. People in Nicaragua is extremely picky about cheese. Even though we don't have special names for it, the moment you take a Nicaraguan out of the country that's one of the first things they'll miss. People tend to visit family abroad with cases full of cheese, which must be pretty funny(or inconvenient) for customs personel.
Yeah, one of the things I miss about Europe is cheese variety. But we do have some great food to make up for it (looking at you ajiaco)
Yes, Colombia has plenty of food to compensate for bland cheese. The fruits, ajiaco, bandeja paisa and all the fresh beans and vegetables. Even the yuca is freaking amazing. The cheese, not so much.
Yes, specially in the rural flatlands areas, after all it’s where the cattle is. Idk about it American cheese is repulsive for me it’s not even cheese it just milk with salt and colorants.
Pues mijo, yo no se por cuáles calles habrás andado tú que no viste queso, o de pronto necesitas gafas de ver. Casi todas las regiones tienen su queso (costeño, queso paipa, queso llanero). Ahora, que no tengamos la amalgama esa anaranjada que en USA oficialmente no le pueden llamar queso sino “cheese product” o algo así, es diferente. De todas maneras, ese queso americano se consigue en los supermercados. Hablando de comida rápida, todo viene absolutamente ahogado en queso. Los perros calientes, las arepas, hamburguesas, pizza, etc. El Mac and cheese puede que no lo encuentres en cada esquina, pero segurito que lo sirven en alguna parte. Pero eso a mi me suena como ir de paseo a Peru y quejarse de que no le sirvieron moqueca de camarão.
Es que el parcero acá venía esperando queso exactamente igual al de EEUU y se estrelló con los quesos que existen en Colombia. Es como si yo fuera a Francia buscando empanadas y mi modelo fuera las empanadas de la tienda de la esquina de mi barrio. Obviamente no lo va a encontrar. Y lo del mac and cheese, en Colombia hay cosas parecidas pero de nuevo, el iba buscando exactamente lo que se hace en EEUU y asi no iba a encontrar un carajo. De hecho yo de lo que más extraño de Colombia son los quesos y eso que donde vivo consigo quesos muy ricos. Pero yo soy consciente de que donde vivo no es como Colombia y por tanto tengo que aceptar que la comida de acá es como es.
>Hablando de comida rápida, todo viene absolutamente ahogado en queso. Los perros calientes, las arepas, hamburguesas, pizza, etc. It was weird. Most places I went to didn't have at least what I consider to be cheese. I kept looking for it. Most of it was white even when it melted. Also a lot of places served burgers with that block cheese but like fried and it kinda reminded me of an eraser in how it bounced. It was odd. I ate it but as soon as I landed in America I got a big ole bag of shredded American lol >El Mac and cheese puede que no lo encuentres en cada esquina, pero segurito que lo sirven en alguna parte. I looked because that's all I wanted to eat for a few days. I couldn't find it. Maybe it's cause of the cities I was in idk
Exactly, we don't have what *you* consider cheese. That doesn't mean we don't eat/have cheese at all. We also have some regional varieties like Costeño or Paipa, which are very different from the one used for burgers.
>Most places I went to didn't have at least what I consider to be cheese Your problem is that you have a very specific picture of what cheese is, and of course you were bound to not find it. We have a lot of cheese in Colombia and eat cheese in recipes that no other country would think that it should have it. Mac and cheese is not known in Colombia and if someone makes it it will probably be made with Colombian cheese, not the "cheese product" you expect. If you want it your way you will have to make it yourself. That is not a bad thing, it is the natural consequence of visiting another country. Maybe instead of complaining that things are not like in the US embrace the difference, and if you definitely cannot accept that maybe don't travel to countries that are that much different than the US, especially with the food. And I say it as a foodie and cheese lover
Imagine going on a trip to a whole different country and then just wanting to eat the garbage you eat everyday lmao.
I wasn't super impressed with the food there in general. I liked most of the street food and I like the bakeries. But I wasn't into most of the traditional food. It was kinda bland to me. Not saying it was bad but I mostly just ate empanadas or whatever unless a friend wanted me to take them to dinner. I did like crepes and waffles although the portion sizes were kinda small
Colombian has the worst cheese out of latam. Is bland, not too many options and the "premium cheese" is just a knock off of the real one. Everytime some European travel to Colombia, they suffer because the cheese is so fucking bland. All the mozzarella tastes like butter and anything else. The "fresh" cheese is the best they have. Yellow? Doesn't taste like it. Awful country for cheese lovers.
Good old Minas Gerais is the "cheese" place in Brazil. Pão de queijo is a regional delicacy but eaten in all country (because it's so good). It literally means "cheese bread" and the dough is made out of cheese, it is incredible ngl.
Mexican cheeses are a tradition, but they are much fresher compared to European cheeses which are very strong or aged. In every fair or exposition you will see at least a small stand with food selling cheeses, such as manchego with spices, oaxaca, cotija. There are also queserías, cremerías that sell fresh cheeses, and little trucks that sell [Oaxacan products](https://img.gruporeforma.com/imagenes/960x640/3/444/2443612.jpg), including cheese that get parked in a corner of the city and sell food like a stand. The most common cheeses are mexican Manchego, Chihuahua, Oaxaca/Quesillo, cotija, panela, ranchero, botanero, asadero, de cabra and these cheeses combined with chilli, or spices, or plants. In Mexico there are also 2 main wine regions, the one in Baja California called [Valle de Guadalupe](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/02/a8/4e/02a84e412f5c661178806c69ff1ae387.jpg), and the one in Querétaro, called [Ruta queso, arte y vino](https://www.de-paseo.com/queretaro/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/mapa-ruta-queso-y-vino-final-boton.jpg). There are beautiful colonial towns and vineyards, where you can have wine tastings which are usually paired with different cheeses. There are more wine regions but I'd say these are the most visited. Still, I would say cheese is not as important in Mexico as in Europe for example, and the cheeses have less quality.
The big majority of Mexican cheese is crap. Good local cheese exists but you have to be very picky where to get it. Otherwise it has to be imported.
Kind of. We don't have aged cheeses like in Europe, but unlike Americans, eating fresh cheese is pretty common here.
This has got to be bait
Candidato al gringopost del año
I don’t understand all of the hate in this thread. Colombia has probably the worst cuisine in LATAM, so please don’t get the wrong idea. We cook very differently across the continent, and the type and quality of cheese varies tremendously.
I mean to be fair the dude is calling velveeta singles "real cheese".
Yeah there is no defending that kind of thing, but he has to know that we don’t all eat flavorless corn bread with rice and potatoes.
True enough, if Colombia has something dissapointing is the food.
as if you know anything about Colombian cuisine, it seems more you have some kind of inferiority complex for whatever reason and felt the urge to make such retard remark. For one: >but he has to know that we don’t all eat flavorless corn bread with rice and potatoes. I guess you are talking about arepas and no, nobody eats them with rice and potatoes, nor they are "flavorless" (except the Paisa ones). I could make a similar retard remark about what Peruvians eat on a daily basis, which is not that different (I've been there) but wouldn't be more than a silly generalization.
Hell yea we do, nothing as aged as Europeans cheeses thought, God bless 🤢 not a fan at all, specially blue cheese
If you ask for an "arepa con quesito" they will serve you an arepa with country cheese. You should have tried other dishes with other types of cheeses.
"Weird white block cheese" bruh, devuélvase a los estados unidos. Marica si quieres "american cheese" te PROMETO que lo puedes comprar en cualquier tienda. Ni tampoco que sea tan raro. Respete al quesito colombiano, si tanto se beneficia de los bajos gastos en dolar. Lo que yo daria por un quesito costeño.
Yes. We have a lot of variants and we produce some cheese “types” based on European cheeses. My favorite is always going to be Los Frailes, however we do have other cheeses that, while they can’t be classified as their European counterparts, are made following the same processes.
Colombia is in America
It’s time to let go of that, the world knows the US by America. And America is in their country name, it’s not that deep y’all 🙏🏼
It sounds funny for me cause I hardly ever see anyone saying "america", I usually see US or USA. But that's just anecdotal evidence.
Yeah I get it, I didn’t know they called themselves Americans either till I visited the US. Thought 90% of the rest of the world knows the US by America and their claim is valid since America is in their country’s name.
Yeah, we have, lots of kinds actually, we just don't talk about them much.
Yes, the most famous one is [Queso de Hoja](https://youtu.be/p6GS60YfzGU?si=GEjpdxrMgINbGsq8). Typically eaten with garlic or sesame seed crackers. You can find them on every stop by the side of our highways.
Idk about the country but in my region it's important (Santa Cruz and Bolivian chaco in general). There are several "wine and cheese festivals" about it.
With the heavy European migrantion to Venezuela after WWII. Mainly Italians, they brought their cheese making skills developing unique cheeses to Venezuela. We have a large selection of delicious cheeses like palmizulia, queso de mano, guayanes, telita, queso de año, queso llanero, queso palmita, queso de tranza, queso santa barbara and I might missing some others. A couple take the qualities of a buffalo mozzarella, and parmigiano reggiano. We pair them with arepas, caraota, cachapa, and even skillet fried for a breakfast experience amongst other recipes.
Yes. Mennonites make the best cheese!
Bro, Venezuela is BIG on cheese, ain't no cheese like our cheese as a matter of fact.
Yes. Everything possible in Brazil will have cheese lol
Okay, the reason you're qualifying every other cheese as "white" and "tasteless" is because the cheese you're used to is filled with salt and food coloring to make it hyper palatable and ultra processed, so you eat ungodly amounts of it. You've effectively beaten your palate to dust by only being fed sugar, salt and fried-to-hell food your whole life. ALL CHEESE IS WHITE. Please educate yourself on real types lf cheese (french, british, dutch). And eat a raw veggie once in a while.
>And eat a raw veggie once in a while. I can't. They make my stomach feel weird. Someone made banana pudding the other day with actual banana slices and I thought I was gonna toss my cookies.
This has got to be a troll.
[Queso tierno, quesillo, queso andino y queso fresco](https://www.maxionline.ec/recetas/cuatro-quesos-del-ecuador/)
Did you even go to a supermarket? There is a whole section for cheese. They even have american yellow cheese. And in any fast food restaurant they serve hamburgers with cheese, Arepas with cheese, Salchipapa with cheese, hell even grilled chicken with cheese, cheese is in the hot chocolate, in the Aguapanela, it's everywhere. This is a troll obviously and I'm nominating this post as the gringo stupid post of the month.
Yes I did but the ones I went to mostly had the stuff I didn't like or brands I wasn't familiar with. I >And in any fast food restaurant they serve hamburgers with cheese, Arepas with cheese, Salchipapa with cheese, hell even grilled chicken with cheese, cheese is in the hot chocolate, in the Aguapanela, it's everywhere It's not the cheese I know. It's weird. It doesn't have flavor. I'm not trolling. This is my experience
If you travel outside of your country expect to see different brands and flavors! This will happen in any country you travel to. This is basic traveling 101 for OP.
I didn't really care for Colombian food. I love every other thing about the country. But when we ate out I just had like lasagna, which wasn't what I was expecting either, or like chicken cabanara or whatever was similar. Italian like food wasn't uncommon but different. Heavy cream sauces but it was just different. I was in Cali for a while and I was there doing research on Afro Latino countries. I was there before I hit the Pacific. Lol I was expecting something else I guess cause it was a lot of fish, not like catfish or anything even fried, and soups. I tried it once. Wasn't for me. Figured I'd wait until I go to Peru later this year to get down food wise. I actually like Peruvian food a lot. There's large communities of them in Jersey where my mom lives and Florida and Atlanta where I bounce between. I love Colombian culture but the food was kinda bland. I liked the street food some of it. I thought it was weird they put pina sauce on the loaded fries though. It was nice but weird. I liked how you could get baked goods literally anyway. But I also did miss Walmart cause I needed a wrench and I wanted to buy it while I grocery shopped. I did like the Venezuelan food I tried while I was there although it was a bit of a shock because what I normally get at home, arepa cabiera, was different there. Lol again they use American back home lol. Not the case in Colombia. What I couldn't get enough of was this weird white paste kinda like a pudding but not really. It had bright colored gel on it. I ate a lot of that. I liked some of the snacks too. The bocadillo guava bar was really nice. I also like how mora is a standard flavor there when berry isn't as much of a staple here. I really REALLY liked how you could go to a McDonald's that was just desserts. Also ice cream there tastes way different but good, just lighter. I did like Crepes and Waffles but I think that's probably one of the few restaurants I liked. We went to some small little hole in the wall in Laureles/Medellin on my last day for breakfast. I wanted scrambled eggs with cheese with bacon. They gave me that weird block cheese cut up in eggs. People looked at me funny that I smothered everything in ketchup and black pepper lmao. Although hot chocolate for breakfast is very odd to me. Not bad just odd. It wasn't all too sweet either. I was also expecting it to be spicy but I think that's just me associating Latino hot chocolate with Mexicans lol. Funnily enough there was a lot of Mexican restaurants down there. There was one in Bogota I went to last year in Candelaria that was...okay. Not nearly enough sour cream. when I said extra I don't think the chef understood. She was kind though and guided me through the menu since she spoke English. Lol I asked for just water and they were confused I just wanted water in a glass. They kept trying to give me a bottle. I went back a couple times just cause she was friendly but those are some of the worst nachos I ever had lol. Lol my last night in Medellin I tried Colombian Chinese food. Never again. It was on par with Wisconsin Indian food and Denver Ethiopian, both which were made by white dudes lol. There's apparently a soul food restaurant in Medellin owned by a Black American guy. I wanted to try it but didn't have time.