🧑🤝🧑 Mexicans
People of Mexico; Oaxaca cheese is the country's best-selling cheese, cajeta is made from goat's milk, and 2023 milk output topped 13 billion litres.
The Mexicans are the people of Mexico, a country in North America. Their dairy tradition is best known for Oaxaca cheese (quesillo), fresh queso fresco and cajeta, a sweet caramel made from goat's milk; in 2023 the country produced over 13 billion litres of milk and about 634 thousand tonnes of cheese.
Goats were brought by Spanish settlers more than 500 years ago. Today over 70% of goats are kept on pastures in arid and semi-arid areas, and their milk goes into fresh and aged cheeses and into cajeta, mostly in the centre and north-east of the country.
Oaxaca cheese is made from cows' milk: the acidified curd is kneaded in hot water at about 70 °C, pulled into a ribbon, cooled in cold water and rolled into a ball. Researchers call it Mexico's best-selling cheese, mainly because it melts well. Many small family dairies, which usually use raw milk, also make queso fresco, panela, cotija and other cheeses; these cheeses keep for no more than a week. About 257 thousand producers supply milk in the country, and 58% of them have fewer than 100 cows.
Why it matters to you. The standard NOM-243-SSA1-2010 requires pasteurised milk for fresh cheeses, and in a 2026 study Salmonella was found in 14 of 18 samples of queso fresco from small dairies in the state of Sonora. So for fresh cheese, choose a producer who states that the milk is pasteurised.
Facts
| Country | Mexico |
|---|---|
| Region | Centre and north-east: goat cheeses and cajeta 2 |
| Main use | Oaxaca cheese, queso fresco, panela, cajeta 123 |
| Duration | Fresh artisanal cheeses: up to 1 week 1 |
| Temperature | Oaxaca: kneading at 70 ± 2 °C, cooling to 4 °C 3 |
How it connects to milk
🧑🤝🧑 Mexicans → live in → 🌍 Latin America ← milked in ← 🐄 Cow → gives → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Images and sayings
- 🥃 Rompope (Mexican egg drink)
- Where they live
- 🌍 Latin America
- Traditional products
- 🍯 Cajeta
- Traditions
- 🧀 Queso fresco, 🧶 Oaxaca cheese, 🌵 Agave: tequila and mezcal, 🌵 Tequila, 🌵 Mezcal, 🥃 Blue agave, 🥃 Mezcal artesanal and ancestral, 🥃 Mezcal with worm (con gusano), 🥃 Tequila 100% agave (100% de agave), 🥃 Sotol
- In other topics
- 🥃 Cachaça
Frequently asked questions
What is cajeta?
Thick sweet caramel made from goat's milk. Researchers describe it as "sweet soft caramel"; it is made mainly in the centre and north-east of Mexico.
What is Oaxaca cheese made from?
Cows' milk. As described in Foods (2022), the curd is kneaded at about 70 °C, pulled into a ribbon, cooled in cold water and shaped into a ball.
How much cheese does Mexico produce?
In 2023, about 634 thousand tonnes of cheese and over 13 billion litres of milk; about 257 thousand producers supply the milk.
Is it true that artisanal fresh cheese is safe because it is made by tradition?
Not always. NOM-243 requires pasteurisation, and in the study Salmonella was found in 14 of 18 samples of Sonoran queso fresco. Safety depends on hygiene in production.
When did goats arrive in Mexico?
Spanish settlers brought them more than 500 years ago.
What to read next
- 🌵 Tequila — Mexico's blue Weber agave spirit: at least 51% agave sugars, 35–55% ABV (bottled at 40% ABV / 80 proof or more in the US); appellation of origin since 1974.
- 🥃 Blue agave — Agave tequilana Weber, azul variety, is the only agave for tequila: the category “Tequila” needs at least 51% of sugars from it, “100% de agave” all of them.
- 🥃 Tequila 100% agave (100% de agave) — Tequila made only from sugars of blue agave from the area of origin, unlike the “Tequila” category, where other sugars may make up to 49%. Look for “100% de agave” on the label.
- 🌵 Agave: tequila and mezcal — Tequila and mezcal are Mexican agave spirits. Mexican standards allow 35–55% ABV; “100% agave” means only agave sugars, and the class (blanco, reposado, añejo) tells you the ageing.
- 🥃 Kahlúa — Kahlúa is a Mexican coffee liqueur created in 1936 in Veracruz, made from 100% Arabica coffee and rum; Kahlúa Original is 16% ABV (32 proof). Owned by Pernod Ricard since 2005; the base of the Espresso Martini and other coffee cocktails.
Similar
🧑🤝🧑 Americans · 🧑🤝🧑 Uruguayans · 🧑🤝🧑 Argentines
ℹ️ This page describes the people only through food: what they grow and make, and which foods and drinks matter in their traditions. History, language, religion and other parts of the culture are not covered here.
What it includes
- Traditional products
Sources
- Small family cheesemaking in Mexico: Microbial quality and good manufacturing practices. JDS Communications, 2026
- A Brief Update on the Challenges and Prospects for Goat Production in Mexico. Animals, 2022
- Properties of Oaxaca Cheese Elaborated with Ultrasound-Treated Raw Milk. Foods, 2022