Panela (Queso)

Question

When I was in Mexico, I often ate tortas with panela cheese. When I looked up the translation for Panela, my dictionary said "fiberboard" Anyone know the origin of this cheese? DOes it really translate as fiberboard?

Answer 1

queso panela

Queso panela (panela cheese), also called queso canasta or queso de la canasta (basket cheese) because it carries the impression of the basket in which it is molded, is a white, fresh and smooth cheese of pasteurized cow's milk, served most often as part of appetizer dishes such as nopal salads or quesadillas. It is derived from the Greek word for basket cheese. The cheese also has similarities to the Indian cheese paneer.[1]

In Greece is called 'καλαθακι"meaning little basket and is a variety of feta. - faliron, Jan 20, 2012

Answer 2

To complement Q's answer, "panela" does not necessarily mean "fireboard". A "panela" is just about anything that is cone-shaped or even brick-shaped (depending on where you are). Essentially, a solid, regularly shaped lump of something.

I'm not exactly sure how this particular round cheese came to be called "panela", so make of this what you will.