Cheeses of Mexico

Cheeses in Mexico have a history that begins with the Spanish conquest, as dairy products were unknown in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The Spanish brought dairy animals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats, as well as cheesemaking techniques. Over the colonial period, cheesemaking was modified to suit the mixed European and indigenous tastes of the inhabitants of New Spain, varying by region. This blending and variations have given rise to a number of varieties of Mexican cheese. Mexican cheese varieties dominate the domestic market. Almost all cheese in Mexico is made with cows’ milk, with some made from goats’ milk. More recently, efforts have been made to promote sheep's milk cheeses. Most cheeses are made with raw (unpasteurized) milk. Cheeses are made in the home, on small farms or ranches, and by major dairy product firms. Between 20 and 40 different varieties of cheese are made in Mexico, depending on how one classifies them. Some, such as Oaxaca and panela, are made all over Mexico, but many are regional cheeses known only in certain sections on the country. Some of the least common are in danger of extinction.

Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the Mesoamerican diet did not include dairy products, so cheesemaking was unknown. The Spanish conquistadors brought cattle, goats, and sheep to the New World, permanently changing dietary habits. The Spanish also brought techniques to make cheeses from their homeland, such as manchego. Over time, the blending of European and indigenous peoples and traditions included the modification of cheeses to suit mestizo tastes. This adaptation varied from region to region, which has led to the variety of cheeses produced in Mexico today.

While cheesemaking has always been a widespread, mostly home-based, activity since colonial times, the earliest regions to become known for their cheese are the Altos de Jalisco and the Comarca Lagunera area in Coahuila and Durango. Both are still major producers of cheese and other dairy products. Today, major cheese-producing areas also include Chihuahua, Oaxaca, Querétaro, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi, Michoacán, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Toluca and Chiapas.

Despite centuries of cheesemaking experience, Mexico lags behind Europe in both quantity and variety. Most cheeses made in the country are made by small concerns and farms which sell their products locally.

While some cheeses, such as Chihuahua and panela, have become mass-produced and are made with pasteurized milk, the majority are still made locally with raw milk. Mexican cheeses are not standardized either by type, process or quality.

Mexican and Mexican-style cheeses have become more common on grocery shelves in the United States. Until recently, only the fairly common cheeses were available, mostly in Mexican restaurants, such as Cotija, sprinkled on top of certain dishes, and Oaxaca cheese, melted on tortillas. Now, companies in the US are recreating many of the fresh and aged cheeses from Mexico, with some even attempting the production of lesser-known varieties.

Mexico is ranked 10th in the world for cheese production and eighth for consumption. Cheese sales in Mexico were 218,000 tons in 2003, with fresh (not aged) cheeses making up over one-third of the market, the largest segment. Only 126,200 tons of the cheese consumed in the country that year were produced domestically, with the rest imported. About 10% of the milk production in the country is dedicated to the making of dairy products, most of which is cheese. The overwhelming majority of cheese is made with cows’ milk. While a number of cheeses are made with goats’ milk, they are not as popular and have gotten more difficult to find in markets. Shepherding, though, historically has never been a major commercial activity nationwide, efforts since the 1980s to promote sheep milk and meat have resulted in a significant rise in the number of sheep being raised. This is promoting the development of sheep's milk cheese in the country, although it still accounts for a very small percentage. One of the major sheep-producing states is Querétaro, with most of the milk destined for cheesemaking.

Most “fresh” cheeses, unlike aged cheeses held for weeks or months, are aged for only days. This is not enough time to change the pH of the cheese enough to kill any harmful bacteria that may have been in the (unpasteurized) milk at the beginning of the process. The use of raw milk has led to a number of instances of food-borne disease linked to cheese, especially unaged, “fresh” cheeses. Cases of tuberculosis, listeriosis, and other diseases linked to cheese made in Mexico have led to strong restrictions against bringing the same across the US border or along with air travelers entering US airports. The most problematic cheeses have been panela, asadero, queso blanco, and ranchero, as these are not aged and are often made with unpasteurized milk. In 2008, the Mexican federal government published standards for cheese, with one of its purposes being the better sanitary control of the cheeses produced in the country. One of its major provisions is a ban on the sale of cheeses made with raw milk. However, critics state pasteurization is not the only way to guard against food-borne illnesses, and the process kills beneficial bacteria that affect the cheeses’ taste and health benefits of the cheese with the loss of live culture and enzymes. This is especially true of aged cheeses.