Queso de Capa de Mompox: Traditional Layered Mompox Cheese
Queso de Capa de Mompox is an absolute masterpiece of artisanal Colombian dairy, deeply representative of the historic municipality of Santa Cruz de Mompox in the Bolívar department. This unique, hand-stretched cheese gets its name from its mesmerizing structure: very thin, meticulously rolled layers (capas) that form a beautiful, sliceable cylinder, often hiding a sweet surprise inside!
The secret to this 45-minute recipe relies entirely on the quality of the milk and the stretching technique. You must use unpasteurized, fresh raw milk so the rennet can properly separate the curds. By boiling the extracted whey and briefly cooking the curds in it, the cheese melts into a pliable dough that is rolled out paper-thin, salted, cut into strips, and rolled back up!
Queso de Capa de Mompox (Traditional Layered Cheese)
Ingredients
- 2 Liters Fresh milk Strictly unpasteurized / Raw milk
- 1/2 Rennet tablet Pastilla de cuajo
- Salt to taste
- Bocadillo Traditional Colombian guava paste, optional
Instructions
- Curdle the milk: The very first step is to pour the unpasteurized milk into a glass or plastic container. Add the half tablet of rennet. (Chef's Hack: Rennet also comes in liquid form; follow the manufacturer's ratio if using liquid!) Stir the milk for about 3 minutes. Let it rest undisturbed for about 20 minutes until the milk "breaks" or curdles completely.
- Separate and heat: Carefully separate the yellowish liquid (the whey) from the solid white cheese (the curds). Pour all of the liquid whey into a pot and bring it to a boil.
- Cook the curds: Cut the solid curds into small pieces. Once the whey is boiling, drop the curds into the pot and let them cook for exactly 5 minutes.
- Extract and unify: Remove the hot curds from the whey and place them in a separate container. Squeeze and knead them together as best as you can to extract any remaining liquid and form a single, unified ball of dough.
- Stretch the "fabric": Transfer the hot cheese dough to a clean table. Knead it thoroughly with your hands, and then use a rolling pin to flatten it out. The absolute key here is to roll the cheese out until it is as thin as possible, resembling a sheet of fabric (tela).
- Salt, cut, and roll: Sprinkle salt evenly over the stretched cheese sheet. Using a knife, cut the sheet into long strips about 4 cm wide. Carefully roll these strips up upon themselves to form cylindrical blocks of about 1/4 lb each. (Optional: Right in the center of the roll, you can place a piece of sweet bocadillo before rolling it up!)
Notes
- The Golden Rule: You absolutely cannot use standard pasteurized or UHT milk for this recipe; the chemical process of pasteurization prevents the rennet from properly forming the curds needed for this specific stretching technique.
- A Momposino Legacy: This is one of the most traditional gastronomic symbols of Santa Cruz de Mompox. Historically, the authentic preparation of this cheese was a closely guarded trade secret, passed down exclusively through a few specific families in the municipality.
- Sweet & Savory Fillings: While bocadillo (guava paste) is the most beloved and famous filling, providing a spectacular sweet-and-salty contrast, you can customize the center with raisins, prunes, or even savory olives depending on your taste!
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