Forum Discussion

MEXICOWANDERER's avatar
Aug 02, 2018

Mennonite Queso Chihuahua Advice

I learned the expensive way to not squander ten dollars (180 today pesos) on an unsampled brand of block Chihuahua cheese. More than a few brands I have tried has a distinctly bitter snap to them. Mennonites vacationing at a hot springs spa gave me a small round of unbranded cheese that was as good as any cheddar-like cheese I have ever tasted. The elder in the group said there were a lot of knockoff competitors that were not even from the Ciudad Cuauhtemoc area of Chihuahua.

Like anything else (for instance, butter) quality varies wildly. Try before you buy. Butter? For years Lala brand butter in a plastic tub came from Belgium, and it was as good as Anchor butter from New Zealand. Then Lala switched sources to Uruguay but eventually Lala tub butter fizzled out in the taste department.

After comparing nutrition labels and deciding Primarvera to be the least offensive tasting margarine, when a Wal-Mart is nearby I settle for their house brand butter. Luckily I have mild HDL and LDL levels and can tolerate occasional bouts of butter patties on "hot kakes" the undisputed favorite of the grand kids. When I find real maple syrup I dilute it with "Jarabe Madrilena" Mexican sugar syrup. It's amazing that 15% maple syrup and 85% Madrilena is almost indistinguishable in taste. If maple syrup molds in the refrigerator, simply heat it and skim off the mold. If it's good enough for producers in Vermont and Montreal to skim syrup it's good enough for me. The taste is unaffected.