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Yucatecan Stuffed Edam Cheese

Name: Yucatecan Stuffed Edam Cheese
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 150 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 0.5 cup Olives; 300 g Minced beef; 0.25 cup Raisins; 300 g Minced pork; 4 cloves Garlic; 1 Onion; 2 tbsp Almonds; 6 Tomatoes; 1 kg Edam cheese; 3 tbsp Capers

150 min (60 prep + 90 cook) Hard 8 servings Yucatán

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 24 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

Edam cheese stuffed with spiced meat picadillo, capers and olives. Yucatecan festive centrepiece.

About this recipe

Yucatecan speciality of Dutch Edam cheese stuffed with minced pork and beef with capers, olives, raisins and spices, baked until golden. A festive dish for weddings and celebrations.

History & Origin

Stuffed Edam cheese is perhaps the most singular and historical dish in all of Yucatecan gastronomy, and one of the most fascinating in Mexico. Its origin is directly linked to the commercial ties that Yucatán maintained with Europe, especially the Netherlands, during the 18th and 19th centuries. The ports of Sisal and later Progreso received European ships bringing, among other goods, Dutch Edam cheeses - those characteristic red spheres - which became luxury status items on the peninsula. Wealthy Yucatecan families began buying these cheeses as a symbol of sophistication and European connection. But Yucatecan cooks, with their characteristic ingenuity, soon transformed the cheese into something entirely their own: they hollowed out the sphere, reserved the interior, and filled the shell with a picadillo of pork and beef seasoned with capers, olives, raisins, almonds and a complex base of spices blending Spanish and Mayan influences. The scooped-out cheese was mixed with the filling. The result is a dish that is simultaneously European and deeply Yucatecan. The Edam shell softens during baking, the filling absorbs the cheese flavour, and the whole thing is bathed in a spiced tomato sauce called "kol". This dish is reserved for grand occasions: weddings, baptisms, quinceañeras and patron saint festivities. Making a stuffed Edam cheese is an event in itself, requiring hours of work.

Estimated cost

£19.00

Total cost

£2.38

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

580

Calories

35g

Protein

22g

Carbohydrates

38g

Fat

Fibre

890mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Cut the lid off the Edam (1kg) and scoop out the interior with a spoon, leaving a 1cm shell. Reserve the scooped cheese. Soak the shell in warm water for 30 minutes to soften.
💡 Work carefully to avoid cracking the cheese shell.
2
For the picadillo: sauté half an onion and 2 chopped garlic cloves in butter. Add 300g minced pork and 300g minced beef. Cook for 15 minutes.
3
Add to the picadillo: 2 chopped tomatoes, 3 tablespoons capers, 1/2 cup sliced olives, 1/4 cup raisins, 2 tablespoons chopped almonds, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Cook a further 20 minutes.
💡 The picadillo should be fairly dry, with little liquid.
4
Mix the reserved cheese with part of the picadillo to integrate. Fill the cheese shell with the mixture. Close with the lid and secure with cocktail sticks.
5
Prepare the kol sauce: blend 4 roasted tomatoes with onion, garlic, x'catik chilli and cinnamon. Fry in butter. Add stock and cook 15 minutes.
💡 X'catik chilli is essential; substitute yellow chilli if unavailable.
6
Place the stuffed cheese in a deep ovenproof dish, pour over the kol sauce and bake at 180°C covered with foil for 45 minutes. Uncover for the last 15 minutes to brown.
7
Serve slices of the stuffed cheese bathed in generous kol sauce. Accompany with white rice and tortillas.
💡 Present whole at the table to carve in front of guests.