Hilda loves to cook with natural/minimal ingredients so cheesemaking is a perfect fit. She has 3 adorable girls under the age of 6 and she is teaching them how to make the cheeses she grew up with in Venezuela. We think they’re very lucky to be getting this early start from their talented mother.
Hilda’s Story
When I was 14, my dad accepted a job offer out of the country in Panama, before Chavez would take office in Venezuela. It was a great decision since the country, unfortunately, has deteriorated since.
Then we moved to Colombia and then Mexico where I majored in college in industrial design.
After college, I moved to Miami, FL to earn my masters degree in fine arts graphic design. I lived in Miami for about 7 years, then I met my husband (from Spain) in New Hampshire at my brother’s MBA graduation. They were best friends.
We married, lived 1 year in Boston, MA and then moved to South Korea for 2 years, where we had our first daughter. (My husband used to work for Samsung Electronics at the time). It was an amazing experience living in Asia and, by the way, imported cheese was so expensive!
Then my husband found a different job in Atlanta, GA (we wanted to settle down somewhere in the south of the US). My two other daughters were born and we’ve been here in The Peach State since 2018!
I grew up eating fresh cheese every single day. It is a staple food of Venezuelan culture. We have many kinds of fresh, white cheeses (like Queso Blanco) – firm, semi-firm, soft, semi-soft, with eyes, and even aged white cheese that is cured with butter, coffee, salt and pepper.
We eat these fresh cheeses with arepas (made of corn) that can be filled with ham or meat or eggs or avocado or beans – basically anything that comes to mind. We eat tequeños (fresh cheese filled sticks), cheese with pasta, bread, empanadas, cachapas (corn pancakes), etc.
I remember the taste of coffee and fresh cheese in the morning, and this is something I am teaching my girls at home.
It is very typical in Venezuela to buy fresh cheese from a cheese guy who comes in his truck once or twice a week. They still do this! So, I remember going with my grandma to pick up some cheese across the street. You cannot get fresher than that!
When I moved out of the country the first time, I missed our fresh cheese so much, and even though you can find similar ones in the US or Latin America now, they actually do not taste the same.
It is true that cheese is impacted by the environment, the source of the milk, what the cows were fed, bacterial community, temperature, etc. but I was always intrigued by why they would taste so different, even when they have the same ingredients.
I have always been picky about cheese ingredients – I don’t like preservatives and additives or shortcuts. I’ve always made things from scratch. I like to be in control of the ingredient list and when you make things yourself, it can really taste better. So, I didn’t see any reason why I shouldn’t try to make cheese as well.
I had The Art Of Natural Cheesemaking on my wish list (forever) and finally got it as a present last Christmas. I couldn’t stop reading it!
I couldn’t even finish it before starting my first batch of cheese! I really love his methods for making cheese.
And this is when I tried making my first cheese – “Dream Cheese” from the book, but I made it mixing Greek yogurt and kefir, since I’ve been making kefir for the last 2 and half years and aging the cheese balls in extra virgin olive oil in the fridge. So good!
Then, I tried making the basic rennet cheese, paneer (from India), halloumi, mozzarella, feta, drunken wine cheese, Belper Knolle and, of course, ricotta with leftover whey.
Belper Knolle
Ricotta
I add ricotta to soups, spinach, ground meat casserole, and eggs, and I mix it with roasted garlic, rosemary and olive oil for a delicious dip.
I have not tried the washed rind cheeses yet, and I am still waiting for my husband to make my cheese press. He loves working with wood so he wants to make it for me (haha!).
I make cheese every week, sometimes twice a week, but I am mostly making the fresh cheeses which are the ones I miss the most. My girls love it, and I use minimal ingredients – raw milk, raw kefir or old whey as a starter, rennet and salt.
I have made all kinds of Venezuelan cheeses, and I am SO happy with the flavors I have achieved! I would say they taste the same, or at least the closest in taste I have ever had outside of Venezuela.
In Venezuela, they use “old whey” as a starter. That means they use leftover whey from making cheese.
You leave it at room temperature to ferment for a few days, and then use it in your next batch of cheese (a small amount, depending on the recipe).
Old whey can last months in the fridge. This makes a big difference in the flavors developed!
I have been learning a lot from the Venezuelan cheese master, Professor Wilson Aguilar, and you have to check out his cheeses on his Instagram account- https://www.instagram.com/millano2021/
He makes a kind of mozzarella cheese, very typical in Venezuela, called Queso de Mano (Hand Cheese), Telita, Guayanes, and Trenza (similar to Mexican Queso Oaxaca).
Another Venezuelan cheese I make is called Palmita (also called Palmizulia). It is a semi-soft, fresh cheese with holes, which develop in warm and humid weather.
Some people make it in incubators, controlling the temperature and humidity. I have made mine in the garage (works in summer). I just keep it in the mold with the follower and pour some whey on top to keep it humid. It still drains whey through the mold holes.
1-2 days later, bacteria produces gas (CO2 bubbles), it inflates and develops all these holes and the aroma distinctive of this Venezuelan cheese.
All of my fresh cheeses are made the traditional way, with raw milk.
Other Venezuelans known out there, who I have been learning a lot from as well are Zorana (who you already interviewed https://blog.cheesemaking.com/zorana-marquez-in-humble-texas/), MiQuerencia, Erbuche, Jose Lorenzo, Javier Sosa, Daniel Avellaneda among others. But once you understand the concept, you get creative and start experimenting.
I am currently a home cheese maker, not planning to sell soon but I have been giving it away to friends and family. Let’s see where this takes me! I’m very excited to be able to make cheese, but raw milk is expensive and not sold for human consumption in many states.
In case you want to take a look, I created my brand (not registered yet) and have a social media account I started recently to share some of my cheeses – https://www.instagram.com/laquesuaartesanal/
I have thought of selling my cheese but I would need to pasteurize the milk and so on, and I’m enjoying the traditional methods (with raw milk) from my country right now.
My brand is La Quesua Artesanal. “Quesua” is slang in Venezuela, and it comes from the word “queso” (cheese). It has a funny connotation, but that’s another story for another interview, LOL…
Costine D says
May I know the source of raw milk you are using?
I am your neighbor, from Kennesaw GA and I am looking for some raw farm milk in the area.
Thanks,
Costine
Hilda says
Hi Costine! The raw milk I buy the most is from Carlton Farm. I have tried many but it is the closes to me. You can use this finder: https://www.realmilk.com/farm-directory/wpbdm-region/georgia-usa/
I have bought from My Dad & Me Family Farm, Two by two farms, The good shepherd, they are all good!!
Hello Hilda..Enjoyed reading this article. Have you thought about doing a YouTube video(s) showing just how you make your wonderful cheeses with receipts and utensils etc included. By seeing, one learns quicker. It would be wonderful. You are an inspiration. (Could kefir whey be used?)
Hi Teresa! I have thought about doing the YouTube videos and I have so many ideas would like to do but I don’t have enough time right now with the three girls, etc., but thank you for the great idea, I will let you know if I do!
Yes, you can use Kefir whey or Kefir as a starter/culture. Add to the milk at 90F then incubate for 1 hour (before adding the rennet). Keep in mind Kefir whey is sometimes more acid than Kefir itself or 2-day old leftover whey from a previous cheesemaking batch. I would recommend for a queso blanco, use about 1.5% of the volume of the milk you are using.
Greetings from upstate NY! I absolutely loved reading your story and cheese adventures! Keep up the great work, and your girls are just adorable.
Thank you so much Rebecca!!!!!
Hello from Canada! You are an inspiring cheesemaker – and with 3 young beautiful children in tow. Go girl!
Hi Donna, so sweet of you! Thank you!!
Very well done! What is your recipe for the Queso blanco?
Thank you Candace!
My recipe for the Queso blanco is a basic rennet cheese with raw milk, for every gallon I use 1/4c of kefir or old whey and regular dose rennet.
After cutting the curd, slowly cook until you reach 98-99F (I like to keep it raw but you can cook up to 110F as it is easier to release the whey. Scoop out 60-70% of the Whey, salt the cheese (13g per liter), let it sit for 15-20min, and then scoop out the curds to a mold or colander. Press for about 2-4 hours, I usually press with a 4lbs cutting board for a 2lbs cheese, it can be very approximate! Let the cheese rest at room temperature until the next day turning it over a few times, and then refrigerate. You can slice and grill, grate it, dice, or eat fresh at room temperature. I you make it, let me know how it turns out!
Great to hear about your cheesemaking Hilda. I would be interested in some more detail about making cheese from old whey. I assuming you’re not referring to ricotta but another style of cheese? How much do you use per litre of milk?
Hi Jen! The Ricotta I make is with leftover whey from cheesemaking, nothing else. I just recook the whey, which is what the word Ricotta means, I save like 7-10% of the leftover whey and pour it into the boiling leftover whey on the pot and let the solids rise to the surface. I let sit for 24 hours, and the day after I strain or scoop out. I find it easier when it is cold.
On the other hand, the old whey or fermented whey for cheesemaking is the culture I use, either that or Kefir. I usually use 2% of the volume of the milk, but it depends on the cheese you’re making!!
Thank you for reading the article!
Hilda, you inspire me! Well done!
Thank you Charles! I’m humbled by your words 🙂
Please write a book with lots of great photos!
I would love to!! Thank you! 😘
I would love to! Thank you so much for reading my story!
So exciting to learn about such different cheeses from the ones I’m familiar with! Best of luck as you continue on your cheesemaking journey. Kudos on helping preserve something so important to your heritage for your girls.
You are so right about that! I’m so happy to be in this journey and doing it at home with my girls. Thank you and best wishes to you as well!
You are so fun to read about. I love the variety of cheeses that you make and I hope you return again and again to share your recipes with us. They all look delicious. You should write a book to share food from your culture with us. Thank you for sharing your cheese adventures.
Thank you for your sweet comment!! I would love to keep sharing my cheesemaking journey. Everyone’s story is so delightful! I’m so glad to be part of this community. Best wishes!!