Queso relleno is a hollowed wheel of Edam cheese stuffed with picadillo (spiced ground pork), wrapped in muslin and steamed until the cheese softens, served with k'ool (white sauce) and tomato sauce.
The dish is the Yucatán's tribute to Caribbean and Dutch trade routes that brought Edam (queso de bola) to the peninsula in the colonial era, married with Spanish-influenced picadillo. It became a celebration dish for Yucatecan weddings and Sunday lunches by the early 20th century. The technique is to hollow out a whole queso de bola, stuff it with a pork-and-raisin picadillo seasoned with capers, olives and chiles dulces, then bake until the cheese melts and forms a soft shell. The picadillo is sauced with kol blanco (béchamel-like) and chiltomate. La Tradición, La Chaya Maya and Restaurante Kinich in Izamal run reference versions.
