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| Ro*Tel's Queso Dip Recipe. Photo: ConAgra Foods |
When queried, this writer's wife, a Texas native, her relatives and friends answer along the lines of "it's just so good!" Queso is good; so is cow's brains. Queso is creamy and spicy and won't run off a tortilla chip like other salsas. Crucial to understanding the dip is the facility with which it is prepared. Ready in five minutes, it's a fiesta favorite. Are there Texans at a party you're hosting? Whip out the queso and welcome the adulation. "It's just so good!"
Another reason is Lone Star pride. "Texans have a special place in their hearts for queso and Ro*Tel. Both originated in the state," says Mike Locascio, vice president and general manager at ConAgra Foods, Ro*Tel's manufacturer.
It's also a staple at Tex-Mex restaurants, where the dish doesn't always come from a box or can. "Using Velveeta is against our 10 commandments," says David Joseph, owner/chef of El Patio, an Austin, Texas, institution since 1952.
"We use onion, tomatoes, sweated jalapeños, water and Extra Melt Cheese (like Velveeta, but richer)," says Parker H. Scott, Jr., director of operations at Casa Rio on San Antonio's Riverwalk. Asked why queso is so beloved by Texans, Scott suggests, "Because it's easy to eat with many foods -- chips, over hamburgers, over enchiladas..."
It's tasty, adaptable and multipurpose, but this Slashfoodie still doesn't get it. Give us your opinion in the comments below.
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9-02-2009 @4:47PM Addie said... Jose, Jose, Jose.
My friend, you have to have eaten non-Rotel queso somewhere within the great state of Texas to understand its greatness.
When served with freshly made and well-salted tortilla chips, queso — in its rainbow of colors, from white to burnt orange (just in time for football season) — is quintessentially Tex-Mex. Slightly sharp and spicy, it's a heartier dip than salsa, but isn't quite a full-fledged appetizer, such as a quesadilla.
Beer or margaritas are also essential to the queso experience. If you ever find yourself in Austin, I'll personally show you why this isn't a food to dismiss.
Addie Broyles
Austin American-Statesman food writer
www.austin360.com/relishaustin
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9-02-2009 @4:47PM Pye said... I don't think of that as Texan. Such a dish made regular appearances at my home when Mom hosted parties. I think the recipe came off of a Velveeta package. (I'm from the Pacific Northwest)
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9-02-2009 @4:57PM annagins said... I'm from Texas and I hate queso.
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9-02-2009 @5:12PM Amanda said... I second Addie. You cannot count Rotel queso in the same place. Rotel queso is like saying Taco Bell is Mexican food. Sure, it'll do in a pinch, but it's not delicious. Real, homemade queso is delicious.
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9-02-2009 @5:02PM Sinjin said... Margaritas are definitely NOT essential to queso. In fact, neither is that ro-tel junk. Heck, I even have to leave out the onions from queso, even though they taste good. No, just some nice creamy cheese and some bell pepper bits and you can put it on anything. or not.
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9-02-2009 @5:02PM JRalat said... Addie, I've sampled the dish from Dallas to El Paso and have only had the Ro*Tel variation. It's unfortunate.
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9-02-2009 @5:19PM Rob O. said... Although this variety is worth tossing together in a crock pot for a potluck or casual party, there's plenty of fantastic queso to be had in Texas that contains neither Velveeta nor Ro-Tel.
Often, it's served to the table bubbling in an oblong cast iron fajita skillet with chorizo or heavily spiced ground meat.
And a frosty margarita (or a Corona with a lime wedge) is a great accompaniment!
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9-03-2009 @8:58AM Bati said... I've also had trouble understanding why people like Queso. Maybe I'm just a French snob, but to me, anything that is not made from the milk of a cow, goat or ewe should not be called "cheese". No es queso. You wanna try something good? Try to melt a camembert on a grill (leave it in its wooden box). Now, this is real cheese.
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9-02-2009 @7:37PM Lynn Currie said... The thing you've got to know about queso is this, it's like burgers. There are some that you eat and go 'eh, that was okay.' But then there are those that you bite into, roll your eyes back and just sigh. Burger perfection.
Queso is the same. Velveeta and Ro*Tel is kind of like buying pre-made hamburgers from your grocery store, slapping them in a skillet and eating them with iceberg lettuce. Sure, it's a hamburger, but it's nothing like having a really good BURGER.
Know what I mean?
You should take Addie up on her offer to personally show you why queso isn't a food to dismiss.
And please take me along.
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9-02-2009 @8:06PM Veronicad1 said... Oh man! Now I'm going to HAVE to make some! Of COURSE I always have a couple of cans ready and some velveeta on standby.... think I'll fix the tortillas the way my ex from Mexico showed me. Rather than fry them in oil put them straight on the burner of the stove on low heat - gas or electric doesn't matter. Just make sure they don't catch on fire. Flip em and when they're crispy, dip em.
We know what's for dinner tonight!
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9-03-2009 @8:12AM Redrobin said... I love "queso," and have had many versions over the years. I can't think of one I didn't like. What's not to like? It's gooey, salty, a bit spicy, and tastes good with so many things, including coating one's own finger with it so as to be enjoyed in its simplest form. Add ground beef and sausage, and it becomes "Big D" dip. Ya-hoo!
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9-03-2009 @8:13AM Gene De Lisa said... this is why I couldn't leave Texas fast enough.
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9-03-2009 @11:11AM darkerhelios said... while everyone has pointed out that process cheese-based queso is essentially taco bell mexican, there is a more appealing way. a béchamel augmented with shredded cheeses and sweated onions and peppers makes a delicious queso without the need for what once garnered the moniker "embalmed cheese."
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9-03-2009 @3:16PM marquisem said... I'm not from Texas and shudder at the thought, but I love some cheese dip, which is the simple term we Arkansans give it. Velveeta does contain cow's milk. Unfortunately, the Kraft web page wasn't helpful on me understanding how much.
I think this is one of those things you either grow up with and like or you don't. A friend made a totally homemade version with fresh herbs, a cheese blend, etc and while it was fine, it wasn't cheese dip.
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9-03-2009 @3:17PM Evan said... 1. Queso is to Tex-Mex as Parmigiano is to Italian.
2. Rotel and Velveeta is to Tex-Mex as Shakable Green Canister Parmesean is to Italian.
You want real queso?
Make a bechamel witout nutmeg. Add in sweated garlic, jalapenos, onions, sharp cheddar and monterey jack cheeses. Stir in just barely under-ripe avocado chunks and cooked Mexican fresh chorizo. Dip that with a chip and tell me you're not in heaven.
Queso and guacamole are the two best dips on the face of the planet. ATX up in this piece!
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9-22-2009 @6:39PM Raiders757 said... The Mexican joints in the South East and Mid-Atlantic make a Queso dip that kicks major tail. I don't see it much outside the region, and I have yet to find better. It's made out of asadero cheese with jalapenos, poblanos, half & half, onion, cummin, and salt. It's known as crack cheese and trust me, it blows the competition away.
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10-25-2009 @5:31PM Tosca said... Grew up in Texas (living here again now), and I've never cared for, or understood the popularity of queso. Maybe it's like someone else here wrote, about growing up with something: queso was not part of the gastronomical repertoire of my early life. Then too, it was introduced to me by my (now ex-) husband, which puts a negative strike against it. Like that marriage, it was gooey, sticky, unpleasant, detrimental to my health, and left a bad taste. Happy for those who like it, but leave me out...
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2-26-2010 @4:40PM Mayra said... It's pronounced "keh-so." It's the word for cheese in Spanish. If you are so intent on Anglicizing, please do refer to it as cheese rather than "kay-so."
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