The queso de bola (literally “ball shaped cheese”) from Ocosingo is reminiscent of the Italian caciocavallo in both type and shape. Produced around the city of Ocosingo (in the northeast part of the state of Chiapas), it differs from other types of artisanal Mexican cheeses because it is in fact made from two cheeses, one for the outside and one for the inside. The outer crust forms a hollow that hardens over time and sometimes is edible, while the inside paste, bright straw yellow in colour, is creamy in consistency and tastes milky, fresh and lightly salty. The production process that makes it stand out is peculiar and handed down from one generation to the next, going back to the first cowherds in the area. It is made from raw cow’s milk in small family cheese factories who have hired maximum 4-6 employees.
According to some, queso de bola’s origins go back to the era of Porfirio Diaz’s dictatorship, from 1876 to 1911, and the cheese was inspired by Dutch Edam cheese, in both shape and production technique. The introduction of Edam to Mexico goes back to the time when the Yucatan peninsula ports were an important commercial stop for ships laden with European goods; its importance to Mexican cuisine can be seen in the traditional Mexican recipe relleno de queso, made with ground meat, spices and Edam, of course .
On the other hand, others zero in on the differences, underscoring that queso de bola and Edam have little in common except the cheese-making process and their organoleptic profile.
Apart from queso del cuadro (square-shaped cheese), the queso de bola is the only cheese product in the area, and both are products of local communities who learned the cheese-making techniques from Franciscan monks, who were converting the Americas to Christianity.
It is usually eaten by cutting the upper part and removing the inside with a spoon. If you go down deep enough, you can use the cheese as a container, filling it with a bit of mince meat and putting it all in the oven. Otherwise, it can be eaten as a snack or a pudding.
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