Crumbly White Cheese

[merinmel]

So, you know those huge blocks of white cheese that are sold on the street?  And it tastes really good with gallo pinto or squash or... anything?  What's it called?  What is the name of that cheese?

thanks

[Randall Wood]

You are probably thinking of cuajada, especially if you ate it at a fritanga or something.  But Nicaragua's got over 80 distinct cheeses, including silky, smoky queso ahumados, and all sorts of mysterious, cottage cheese-type things.  Cuajada is a good first guess though, since it's so common and served so frequently. 

I confess it took some getting used to, but now I miss it when away.  It does go very well with gallo pinto and fresh tomatoes.  Buen provecho!

[Joshua Berman]

Then of course there is "queso pantasmo", a.k.a. "juicy cheese worms", a white soft cheese with live maggots in it, which you eat -- as featured on "BIZARRE FOODS WITH ANDREW ZIMMERN." Chef Octavio in Hotel Casa San Francisco in Granada is the only one in the country who can make it.

[Megan]

I could be wrong but I would guess "really big" blocks of crumbly white cheese is not cuajada but rather "queso seco" -- most cuajada I have seen is not in "really big blocks"

[kevins]

If it was like a strong feta, it sounds Queso Blanco, according to the Nicas I asked. Cuajada is much softer and milder--more in the direction of a cream cheese, although less..um..creamy. One Nica refused to concede that cuajada was even a cheese. She felt it was in its own non-cheese food group. Researching it later, I decided she had a point--it's sort of more like a precursor to cheese.

I wish something like a mozarella was easier to find there. Or cheddar, but I know that's asking a lot. I like my cheeses neither hard nor soft, and with a mild flavor.

[Joshua Berman]

Quesillo is very similar to mozarella, ask for it anywhere, even in supermarket.