What it is
The recipe published by Mérida's city government uses Edam-style cheese (queso de bola tipo holandés) and ground pork for the filling. The cheese is arranged in slices inside a bowl, filled with the meat and baked until it melts.
The filling
The meat is seasoned with onion, sweet pepper, tomato and garlic, and the ingredient list includes green olives, capers, bay leaf, epazote and oregano. It's a distinctive sweet-savory picadillo.
The kool
The key accompaniment is kool: it starts with lard, onion, capers, olives and raisins, and is thickened with chicken or pork broth and flour dissolved in water. It's served with tomato sauce and tortillas. Mexico's culture ministry describes it with white and red sauces.
A European fingerprint
For Mexico's culture ministry, Dutch-style cheese stuffed with picadillo is a sign of European influence on Yucatecan cuisine, which blended ingredients arriving by sea with local techniques and flavors.
Tips
- It's very rich: share it or order it as your only main.
- Try it with both sauces at once.
- The city recipe serves ten: it's a celebration dish.
From the plate to the history
Queso relleno belongs to the era when Yucatán traded by sea with Europe. To learn about that prosperous period, Mary Tours' Hacienda Mucuyché trip tells the story of henequen. The office is on Calle 61 in downtown Mérida.
Fun facts
- Queso relleno includes olives, capers and raisins.
- Kool is thickened with flour dissolved in water.
- It's one of the dishes that shows European influence in Yucatán.
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Frequently asked questions
What is queso relleno?
Edam-style cheese stuffed with pork picadillo, baked and served with kool and tomato sauce.
What is kool?
A thick white gravy made with broth and flour, with olives, capers and raisins.
Why Dutch cheese?
Mexico's culture ministry sees it as European influence on Yucatecan food.
How many does it serve?
The city recipe serves ten.
