I well remember the first time I encountered the Tex-Mex phenomenon known as queso, which is not to be confused with Mexican queso, which just means “cheese”, as opposed to queso fundido, or melted cheese of an altogether different sort. It arrived in a bowl made out of fried tortillas that was filled with orange cheese that was melted, yet not quite liquid: “Kinda like a cheese soup,” the helpful waitress said on seeing my puzzlement.
Apparently I’m not alone. Austin native Melanie Haupt reports finding “people from northern California to West Virginia … pleasantly flummoxed by the magical concoction now considered ‘classic’ queso among those who went straight from baby food to Tex-Mex”. Fellow Texan Rhoda Boone tells Bon Appetit magazine that in the Lone Star state, “We try to have as many occasions as possible to eat queso … sometimes it’s just, like, Sunday lunch”. It might not be replacing the roast over here in the UK any time soon but, like its Alpine cousin fondue, it’s great fiesta food for all occasions.
