Viva Veracruz

Calypso · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:07 pm Post subject: Queso de Chiva (or Cabra)

Yesterday a father and daughter were passing by our place up at Rancho del Cielo. Each day a number of campesinos walk down from the little village Micoxtla to sell wood, fire wood, milk and cheese (and I suppose other things).

We were in the market for some fire wood for next season. The man had two horses loaded up with wood. We bought both horse loads for 15 US dollars. This transaction is questionable because the campesinos are stripping the forests of wood at an alarming rate - they have no regard for forest management ;-(

Along with the man was a young girl with a 5 gallon bucket full of goat cheese. The cheese is formed in disc like large hockey pucks that sell for 6 pesos (about 60 cents US).

We bought A couple of rounds that they called "queso de Cabra." They have different names for milk goats and meat goats as well as some varieties of goat cheese going under different names like Manchego for instance (described as ewes milk cheese).

You must wash this cheese before use as they use some salt preservative rather than refrigeration which is art a premium in the Ejido colonia.

This morning I had two tortillas with egg and the cheese as well as two more just with the cheese. It is a very white crumbly kind of cheese - mild and muy sabrosa.

Anyone have more exacting data on this queso de cabra or comments.
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joaquin · Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 396 Location: Xalapa, Veracruz

I thought that they used salt to curdle the cheese.

When I first moved to Xalapa the dueña's father used to bring fresh cheese like the cheese you described. We had to wash and often soak the cheese in water to remove the saline taste. No matter, the cheese was wonderful and full of flavor.
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bobnliz · Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:23 pm Post subject:

Joaquin ~ I used to make goat cheese a while back. The salt is used as a preservative to keep molds and such from growing. To curdle the milk I used rennet, or lemon juice, or yogurt. Didn't salt mine as I wanted certain molds to grow. (I got a better price.) I suspect, as you live in a somewhat humid environment, that the salt is very necessary for keeping the cheese fresh. Lizzy

Bob Cox · Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 263 Location: Apizaco, Tlaxcala

The only problem with goat cheese is you take a chance of catching brucellosis aka: undulant fever, called malta fever in Mexico. A long degenerative disease that slowly weakens the body. I avoid it when possible.