Melted Manchego Cheese with Chorizo (Queso Fundido)

History & Origin

Queso fundido is one of the most beloved sharing dishes in Mexican restaurants and cantinas, especially in northern Mexico and Mexico City. Simple in concept, it represents the perfect fusion between Mexican cheese tradition and Iberian cured meats that arrived with Spanish colonisation. Mexican manchego cheese - which bears little relation to its Spanish namesake beyond the name - is a semi-soft cow's milk cheese with excellent melting properties. When gratinated in the oven it becomes creamy inside with a slightly golden, crispy exterior that makes it irresistible. Mexican chorizo is different from Spanish chorizo: it is fresh, not cured, with an intense blend of chile, spices and vinegar that gives it a very particular flavor. When fried and mixed with melted cheese, it creates a truly addictive combination of flavors and textures. In traditional Mexican cantinas, queso fundido is an essential appetizer served in small clay dishes or molcajetes straight from the oven. It is always accompanied by freshly made flour or corn tortillas.