what is a Tequeño?

Tequeños are a delicious typical artisan Venezuelan white cheese wrapped in a thin, semi-sweet, breaded dough. Tequeños are known as “Palitos De Queso”, “Deditos de Queso”, “Cheese Sticks” and “Cheese Fingers”. Some people may call them as the Latin American Mozzarella stick, and yet, they are not really like mozzarella sticks!

Tequeños are a breaded fried cheese stick or a spear of bread dough with a special artisan white cheese (queso blanco) in the middle. It is formed into a breadstick and then usually fried in oil or in an air-fryer for 6 minutes at 365°F to 400°F. Tequeños can also be baked or reheated in the oven, depending on the preference of the customers. Tequeños can be eaten for breakfast, served as a starter or side dish, or eaten as a snack food at gatherings, parties, weddings, bars and restaurants. Usually, they are accompanied and eaten with a delicious and traditional garlic and cilantro sauce or salsa rosada (ketchup and mayo blend sauce) that we also offer to our customers.

Tequeños are the most common snack at any Venezuelan gathering or party. They are very popular in most Latin American countries and over the last few years they had become well known in United State, especially in Florida. In South Florida, you can find them everywhere, including most well-known groceries stores and gourmet specialty food stores. You can also find them in many restaurants, bars, coffee shops and bakeries as they are the perfect snack to share at a table or to take home.

The Origin of the Tequeños

The origin of the “Tequeño” is not defined with historical security. There are many theories and legends about the origin of the name “Tequeño”. The most know legend is that they were invented in 1920 by a 15-year-old girl in the kitchen of the Baez family. The Baez family was one of the wealthiest and well-known families living in a city called “Los Teques”. Los Teques is the capital of the Miranda state at the west of Caracas, Venezuela.

According to some history records, in 1920, the tequeños were initially called “cheese rolls” and later in 1960’s they were named “Tequeños” correspondingly to the city where they were invented “Los Teques”.

In Caracas, people used to ask, “where are the Tequeños?” in reference to when the Baez family was transporting their delicious cheese snacks by train. Crowds of people would wait anxiously for the famous appetizer at the train station. Finally, when they arrived, they would jump and shout “The Tequeños have arrived!”, referring to the Baez family and the famous snack.

The Tequeño started becoming famous when the Báez family offered them during their typical social parties. It was considered a new and original snack everywhere. The word spread out of town and they became famous as the “Golden Snacks”. Even the Venezuelan president of that era (General Gomez) was one of the main fans of this culinary creation. In the end of the 1960’s, the Tequeños were considered a luxury snack that could not be missed in any social gathering.

Many different recipes for tequeños can be found online. Tequeños can be made with different varieties of cheeses, although a typical Venezuelan artisan white cheese is the most popular. Tequeños have become extremely popular in Latin America because of how easy they are to make, cook, serve and especially for how different and tasty they are. Venezuelan’s always say, “If you try them you will love them!”