page_title: Cheeses of Mexico
section_title: Production and distribution
hierarchical_section_title: Cheeses of Mexico / Production and distribution
caption_attribution_description: English: Cotija cheese for sale at the Nuestro Mercado de Quesos Artesanales of the Asociación de Amigos del Museo de Arte Popular, held at Lincoln Park in Polanco, Mexico City
context_page_description: 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 cheeses. These are most popular in the country, although European cheeses are made, as well. 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 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.
context_section_description: Mexico is ranked 10th in the world for cheese production and eighth for consumption. Grouped with Argentina and Brazil, Mexico is part of a region which is third in cheese production, behind Europe and the US. 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 to 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 Diario Oficial de la Federacion published the Norma Oficial Mexicana project, with one of its purposes being the better sanitary control of the cheeses produced in the country. One of its major provisions is the prohibition against 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.
  Between 20 and 40 different types of cheeses made in the country, with a few made in great volume such as Chihuahua and Oaxaca. However, most are purely regional in nature, with the least common of these in danger of disappearing. As of 2016, there were four cheeses that have been granted a collective trademark by the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property: Queso Cotija (Michoacán, 2005), Queso de Bola de Ocosingo (Chiapas, 2005), Queso de Poro de Balancán (Tabasco, 2012) and Queso Crema de Cuadro (Chiapas, 2013). Other cheeses that have applied for this protection were Queso Molido of Zacazonapan, Mexico State, Queso Ranchero de Cabra of Perote, Veracruz, and Queso Molido y Añejo of Tepalcatepec, Mexico State.
  Producers vary from large factories, which usually produce common varieties for supermarkets and other large outlets, to small farms which handcraft cheeses. Some of the better-known major producers include Chilchota, Covadonga, Wallander, Esmeralda, and Los Volcanes. Chilchota was the largest producer in 2003. Since then, Grupo Lala has become the largest producer in Mexico.  Mass-produced cheeses are usually sold in supermarkets and large traditional markets in modern packaging, and their quality is not considered to be as good as those made by smaller concerns. Homemade cheese is still made in the country, which is often derisively referred to as “bathtub cheese.”
  The national wine and cheese festival, Feria Nacional del Queso y el Vino, takes place annually in Tequisquiapan, Querétaro, at the end of May and be
caption: Cotija cheese for sale at the Nuestro Mercado de Quesos Artesanales held at the Parque Lincoln of Polanco, Mexico City
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