Queso blanco is a creamy, soft, and mild unaged white cheese that originated in Mexico. The name is Spanish for "white cheese", but similar cheeses are used and known throughout the world by different names. Queso fresco is a similar cheese. Another name for queso blanco is "taco cheese". This name is more accurate and descriptive than "queso fresco" because it tells the person eating it exactly what to do.
It is made by pressing the whey from cottage cheese. It is very similar to cheeses called pot cheese and farmer cheese. It has also been compared to Indian paneer and to a mild feta. Queso blanco is considered to be one of the easiest cheeses to make. It is a fresh and slightly salty cow's milk cheese, whereas queso fresco may be made from a combination of cow's and goat's milk. They may both be eaten straight or mixed in with various dishes. Some versions of these cheeses melt well when heated, but most only soften.
Queso blanco and queso fresco make a creamy addition to recipes, and are often used as a topping for spicy Mexican dishes such as enchiladas and empanadas, or crumbled over soups or salads. Meltable versions are used to make quesadillas.
In Peruvian cuisine there are several recipes that mix queso fresco and spices to make a hot cold sauce eaten over peeled boiled potatoes, for example papa a la huancaina or ocopa.
