''Queso de mano'' ("cheese of the hand") is a type of soft, white cheese (

queso fresco Queso blanco (), literally ''white cheese'' in Spanish, can refer to many different kinds of cheeses whose only common trait is their white color. The specific cheese referred to depends on the region. Production Queso blanco is considered on ...

) most commonly associated with Venezuelan cuisine. It is most often used as a filling for

arepa ''Arepa'' () is a type of food made of ground maize dough stuffed with a filling, eaten in the northern region of South America since pre-Columbian times, and notable primarily in the cuisine of Colombia and Venezuela, but also present in the cuis ...

s and

cachapa ''Cachapa'' is a traditional dish made from maize flour from Venezuela. Like ''arepas'', they are popular at roadside stands. They can be made like pancakes of fresh corn dough, or wrapped in dry corn leaves and boiled (''cachapa de hoja''). Th ...

. The taste and consistency of the cheese most closely resembles that of

mozzarella Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method. Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the anim ...

but is built up in layers.

Preparation

Queso de mano is prepared using a combination of

cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

's milk and ewe's milk curd. The resulting product is called

cuajada Cuajada ( milk curd) is a cheese product. Traditionally it is made from ewe's milk, but now it is more often made industrially from cow's milk. It is popular in the northern regions of Spain (Asturias, Basque Country, Navarre, Aragon, Castile ...

. Once this step is attained, the cuajada is mixed with hot water to ensure the elasticity of the cheese. The mixture is then cooled in special molds which give the resulting cheese a roughly spherical appearance.

Variants

A local version of the cheese, called guayanés cheese is popular in the state of Bolivar.

References

{{reflist Venezuelan cheeses

Preparation

Variants

See also

References