Quesillo is Oaxacan string cheese pulled into long ropes and wound into a ball, the melting cheese on tlayudas, quesadillas, memelas and tetelas.

Quesillo was traditionally made in Reyes Etla, north of the city, by Oaxacan cheesemakers since the late 19th century. The pulled-curd technique winds the warm cheese into long ropes, then loops them into a ball that locals untangle by hand to top tlayudas, quesadillas and memelas. The Mercado Benito Juarez sells fresh quesillo by the kilo; the Reyes Etla Wednesday tianguis is the origin source.

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