Ingredients
Cheese
- 6 litreswhole milk
- ¼ tspcalcium chloride in 2 tbsp water, if using shop milk
- ½ tspliquid rennet in 50 ml cool water
- 2 tbspsalt
To serve
- boiled potatoes and ají
- or fried in slices
Directions
- Warm the milk to 34°C (93°F) and stir in the calcium chloride if using pasteurised shop milk.
- Stir in the diluted rennet, stop the milk moving, and leave undisturbed for 45 minutes until it gives a clean break.
- Cut the curd into 1 cm cubes — smaller than for a soft cheese, because queso paria has to expel a good deal of whey to reach its semi-hard texture.
- Rest 10 minutes, then stir gently for 20 minutes while raising the temperature slowly to 38°C (100°F). This gentle scald firms the curd.
- Drain the whey and work the salt through the curd thoroughly.
- Pack into a muslin-lined mould and press under a 5 kg weight for six hours, turning twice and changing the cloth.
- Turn out and pat dry. Eat it fresh within a week, or leave it uncovered in the fridge for a few days to firm and dry further, which is how it is usually sold.
- Serve sliced with boiled potatoes and ají, or fried in thick slices until golden — it browns without melting.
Technique
- Press it hard and long. This is a semi-hard cheese and an under-pressed one goes sour within days.
- Cut the curd small. It is what lets the whey out.
- Altiplano milk is what gives the original its character; the method travels, the pasture does not.
Substitutions
- Vegetarian microbial rennet.
- A mixture with sheep’s milk, which is sometimes done around Puno.
Variations
- Aged a month it firms into a grating cheese.
- Fried in slices and served with rocoto relleno.
History
Made around Lake Titicaca in Puno and carried to markets across southern Peru.
Frequently asked questions
What is Queso paria?
Queso paria is a cheese & dairy from Peru: semi-hard cow’s cheese from the altiplano, fried or sliced onto potatoes. Made around Lake Titicaca in Puno and carried to markets across southern Peru.
How long does Queso paria take to make?
Queso paria takes 40 min plus 6 hours pressing of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 700 g. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Queso paria?
Yes, within limits. Vegetarian microbial rennet. A mixture with sheep’s milk, which is sometimes done around Puno.
