Oy vey! My latest Cheese Chat Query may seem rather silly and borderline inappropriate, but it does give me an opportunity to actually learn, and teach, something good. Here goes:

"I live in an area with a large Mexican population and was wondering if that chihuahua cheese is really made from dogs milk?
signed,
curious george"

Dear Curious George,

Sadly, no, as far as I know there are no milking parlors with teensy little stools and microscopic milking machines hooked up to chihuahua dogs in Mexico or anywhere.

Being mammals, chihuahuas do produce milk, but I have not found any evidence in support of, or contrary to, the practice of making their milk into cheese.

Not all mammals' milks can be made into cheese. It depends on the ratios of fat and protein to water, and the milks of different species have different compositions; even within certain species, such as Bos taurus (aka cows), the milk of some breeds is more suitable than others for cheesemaking. For example, Jersey cows give very rich milk, but not as much milk as Holsteins, whose milk is thinner.

Whereas cows, sheep, goats, water buffalo, reindeer and yaks provide good milk for making cheese, camels and humans do not. You can add as much rennet or acid as you want, you can heat it 'til the cows come home (natch), but it will not precipitate. You just cannot curdle this milk enough to make it into cheese. Again, I have no evidence if this is true for dog milk.

But let's get back to the Chihuahua Cheese. What is it? From the question, and the name, we can assume it's something enjoyed in Mexico. In fact, it is from Chihuahua, Mexico, the largest state in Mexico, and home to the greatest percentage of Mexicans of European descent - and we know how much Europeans love their cheese.

Chihuahua cheese is a mild, cows' milk cheese, much like Monterey Jack. It's a good melter, and is often found in Mexico's version of Swiss fondue and Italian fondutta, Queso Fundido. And, no surprise here, Chihuahua is where the breed of dog was first discovered, in 1850.

So, the only thing the cheese has in common with the dog is their region of origin.

***

This and every Cheese Chat is dedicated to the memory of Judy Gorman and Henry "The Cheeseman" Tewksbury, my culinary elders.