BARRIO – Oaxaca cheese, also known as quesillo and queso de hebra, is a white, semihard, low-fat cheese that originated in Mexico. It is similar to unaged Monterey Jack, but with a texture similar to mozzarella or string cheese.

It is named after the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, where it was first made. The string cheese process was brought to Mexico by the Dominican friars that settled in Oaxaca. The cheese is available in several different shapes.

The name “quesillo” is the one given by the region where it originated, then it adopted the name of Oaxaca cheese, the only real difference lies in where this dairy product was produced or where it is purchased, but in essence it is the same thing. However, there are those who believe that it would be better to keep the name Oaxaca cheese because this denomination would make this state famous outside the country and, like manchego cheese, gouda cheese or others, the name would be associated with a specific place.

Just under 30,000 metric tonnes of Oaxaca cheese were produced in Mexico in 2020. Much of it comes from the state of Oaxaca, located in southern Mexico.  

The production process is complicated and involves stretching the cheese into long ribbons and rolling it up like a ball of yarn using the pasta filata process. Another cheese made with this method is mozzarella curd, though the final process for Oaxaca cheese bears a closer resemblance to braided cheeses.

Queso Oaxaca is used widely in Mexican cuisine, especially in quesadillas and empanadas, where the queso Oaxaca is melted and other ingredients, such as huitlacoche and squash flowers, are added to the filling.

Oaxaca Cheese was the only cheese made in an hispanic speaking country to make the 100 Best Cheeses in the World list. It came in at number 26.