Asadero cheese

Asadero cheese from Licon Dairy
Asadero cheese from Licon Dairy

Asadero cheese (queso asadero meaning "roastable" or "for grilling," also spelled "azadero")[1][2][3][4] is a white, flat Mexican cheese that is made fresh from goat and cow's milk.[1][5] "Asadero" is the kind of cheese, and individual pieces of the cheese are called "asaderos."[4] The milk is mixed with another mixture of milk and rennet and then boiled for thirty minutes. The mixture is churned, cooked again and then flattened into flat, round shapes while it is still hot.[6] It is a mild cheese that melts well.[2] It is often eaten with bread or tortillas.[7] Asadero is sometimes confused with Chihuahua and Oaxaca cheeses.[8]

Asadero cheese began to be made during the Mexican Revolution in Chihuahua.[5] The cheese was also made in Durango.[9] Later, the recipe was brought with immigrants to the Southwestern United States.[9] In the past, recipes for asadero cheese may have used the poisonous silverleaf nightshade berries to curdle the milk instead of rennet.[10][11]

  1. ^ a b Kennedy, Diana (8 April 2008). The Art of Mexican Cooking: Traditional Mexican Cooking for Aficionados. Michael Calderwood, Susana Martínez-Ostos (2nd ed.). New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers. p. 441. ISBN 978-0-307-38325-9. OCLC 183926642. Archived from the original on 2023-01-17. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  2. ^ a b Martin, Cynthia M. (2011). 101 Recipes for Making Cheese: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply. Ocala, Florida: Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc. pp. 115–116. ISBN 978-1-60138-356-3. OCLC 316834172.
  3. ^ Hernandez, Rafael (2012). "Quesos". In Herrera-Sobek, Maria (ed.). Celebrating Latino Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Cultural Traditions. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 948–949. ISBN 978-0-313-34339-1. OCLC 768800390. Archived from the original on 2023-01-17. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  4. ^ a b Fernandez, Esther (1980-11-07). "The Best Little Asadero in Texas". El Paso Times. Research contribution by Linda Tarin. p. 29. Archived from the original on 2023-01-17. Retrieved 2022-10-10 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Ramirez, Amanda (1989-05-14). "Asaderos: A Licon Family Tradition". El Paso Times. p. 87. Archived from the original on 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2022-10-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Affectionados Line up for Asaderos". The Deming Headlight. 1980-11-25. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2022-10-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "When is a Tortilla Not Tortilla? When An Asadero, That's When!". El Paso Times. 1963-08-19. p. 9. Archived from the original on 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2022-10-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Hernández Rodríguez, Rafael (2021). Food Cultures of Mexico: Recipes, Customs, and Issues. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-4408-6924-2. OCLC 1240827140.
  9. ^ a b Guitierrez, Alfred (1980-08-14). "Asadero Cheesemaker Believes Old-Time Handmade Way is Best". El Paso Times. p. 31. Archived from the original on 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2022-10-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Turner, Matt Warnock (2009). Remarkable plants of Texas : uncommon accounts of our common natives. Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press. p. 275. ISBN 978-0-292-79329-3. OCLC 506174561. Archived from the original on 2023-01-17. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  11. ^ Gutiérrez-Méndez, Néstor; Balderrama-Carmona, Alejandro; García-Sandoval, Socorro; Ramírez-Vigil, Pamela; Leal-Ramos, Martha; García-Triana, Antonio (2019-01-30). "Proteolysis and Rheological Properties of Cream Cheese Made with a Plant-Derived Coagulant from Solanum elaeagnifolium". Foods. 8 (2): 44. doi:10.3390/foods8020044. ISSN 2304-8158. PMC 6406456. PMID 30704018.