Best South American Fresh Cheese Types
Costeño is a Colombian cheese produced from raw cow's milk. It is typically sold fresh, although there are also some harder varieties of the cheese. Its texture is soft and crumbly, while the flavors range from salty to extremely salty.
It can be consumed on its own or paired with rice, yuca, and similar ingredients.
Queso Paraguay or Paraguayan cheese is a staple of traditional Paraguayan cuisine, used in a number of dishes such as cheese chipa. It is made from cow's milk, has a soft consistency, and its flavor is slightly acidic.
The cheese is somewhat bland on its own, but it is great for desserts, so people tend to consume fresh queso Paraguay with molasses or guava jam.
Quesillo refers to different types of cheese (and dishes) throughout Latin America, but in Bolivia, that name indicates a small, fresh cheese, primarily from the Cochabamba Valley. It is made from raw, unpasteurized cow's milk (although, sometimes, it can be mixed with sheep's milk).
The cheese curds that form by adding the rennet are dry-salted and shaped into small balls. The cheese is then left to rest for a couple of hours. It can be eaten on its own or be used as an ingredient in various meat dishes, street food snacks, and salads.
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