August 9, 2026 • 9 mins
Cheesy and Fondue this week we talk all about cheese and street food. We talk a grilled cheese truck, Romans, cotija, hot chocolate, Brazil, Simit, and a hot dog from Korea. And of course, we tell a very cheesy joke!
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Why is cheddar the most dangerous of all the cheeses? Because it is very sharp!
Show Notes
Kitchen Sterling / The Rich History of Elote
Julee Ho Media / History of Elote
EatAndGeek / Where Does the Word Elote Come From
Food Drink Life / Traditional Colombian Food
ArepasDelGringo / Colombian Hot Chocolate
Immigrant's Table / Authentic Colombian Cheese Arepas
TastyAZ / Colombian Arepas con Queso from Encanto
https://www.seriouseats.com/brazilian-cheese-skewers-recipe
Cheese Grotto / History of Cheese Part 1
https://gochisohistory.com/tonkatsu/
https://wistatefair.com/fair/foods-on-a-stick/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Just Cheesy the podcastpresented by Just Cheesy Productions.
Hi there. I'm your host, Fondue.
I'm Cheesy.
In this week's episode, we'retalking all about cheese and street
food around the world.
Yum.
We're gonna talk about agrilled cheese truck. Roman cotija
cheese, hot chocolate, Brazilsimit, and a hot dog from Korea.
(00:26):
And of course, we're gonnatell a very cheesy joke.
I love jokes.
Stay tuned for episodes onJust Cheesy the podcast. All the
way back in 2009, someone inLA put a flat top griddle in a truck.
They did.
They melted cheese between twopieces of bread. And according to
multiple food journalismsources, the grilled cheese truck
(00:49):
became one of the definingfood truck formats of the decade.
Holy cow.
Within two years of itsopening, it won multiple food truck
awards and it spawned dozensof imitators across the country.
Wow.
And we think of this as arelatively modern thing.
Yeah.
But it's not. Not even close,really. According to multiple food
history sources, ancient Romehad something called and I'm going
(01:11):
to butcher it.
Oh, boy.
Thermopolia. Fast foodcounters built into the walls of
buildings.
Whoa.
I mean, it sounds likeconcession stands.
Yeah.
Ancient Greece had vendorsselling olives, cheese, and flatbread
in the marketplace.
Delicious.
Medieval European markets evenhad someone selling something hot
from a cart. The grilledcheese truck is just the latest version
(01:32):
of something we've been doingfor thousands of years. According
to Kitchen Sterling, Mexicohas something called elote. It comes
from the word meaning corn.Specifically, eat an ear of corn
in its soft, immature stage.Corn has been central to Mesoamerican
diets for thousands of years.Elote is a street food as we know
(01:53):
it today is grilled overcharcoal. It's slathered with mayonnaise
or crema, and it's rolled upin crumbled cotija cheese.
Yum.
It's then dusted with chilipowder and finished with lime. Wow.
Now, I think without thecotija cheese, this is just corn
on the macabre.
Yeah.
Otilla cheese is named for atown in Mexico.
It is.
It's an aged, hard, crumbly,salty cheese.
(02:14):
Yum.
According to Julie Ho Media'sfood history site, elote vendors
known as eloteros can be foundon almost every corner in Mexico,
with the dish evolvingdifferently by region.
Really?
They say some people servethis in a cup. They strip it off
the cob, they mix it withchicken stock and herbs in a version
that's called Esques. I amsorry. I am butchering these words.
(02:38):
Yeah, you are.
And then, of course, cotijacheese is added.
Yeah.
We talked a little bit aboutour next one in our breakfast episode.
Oh, yeah.
(03:35):
According to Food Drink Lifeand Arepas del Gringo, Arepas con
queso is sold from streetkiosks on virtually every corner
in Colombia. A corn cake mixedor filled with a mild melting cheese
is cooked on a griddle untilthe outside is golden and the inside
is really ooey, gooey and hot.According to immigrantstable.com,
(03:55):
the first bite produces whatbut one food writer described as
a squirt of melted cheese anda burning sensation. That's totally
worth it. Restaurants orstreet vendors that serve a repras
con queso are not sponsored,but if they were, their ad would
go right here. According toSerious Eats, Brazil has its own
cheesy street food.
(04:15):
It does.
It's called I'm so sorryTejejo calajo. This cheese is so
awesome on a hot grill. Itactually holds its shape instead
of melting into a puddle. Itgets crispy and golden on the outside
and it stays soft and moltenon the inside. And it's so popular
that Brazilian markets sellpre assembled skewers so that people
(04:37):
can take them home and makethem on their own grills.
Nice.
There was a picture in thearticle and it looked delicious.
It sort of reminds me ofhalloumi cheese.
Yeah.
Turkey has a street foodtradition that's built around a sesame
crusted ring bread called.It's sold by vendors on virtually
every corner of every city.Really? According to the Cheese Grotto
food history site, whitecheese known as beaz paneer, a brined
(05:02):
fresh cheese similar to feta,is the traditional pairing for the
simit. This sounds so good.You tear the bread, you dip it in
or layer it with cheese, andthen you eat it standing up while
going about your morning. Itcould be considered a breakfast,
a snack, or a lunch, dependingon the time of day and how hungry
you are.
So hungry.
Turkey A also has a traditionof stuffing flaky pastries called
(05:24):
bareka with lore. Cheese loreis fresh and milky, and it's kind
of like cottage cheese. Thesepastry hot pockets are sold at bakeries
and street stalls. Accordingto Cheese Grotto, this tradition
stretches back centuries.
Centuries.
And something that doesn'tstretch back centuries, but maybe
to the 80s. Oh boy. Accordingto Korea's official culture webzine,
(05:48):
Korea has its own cheesystreet food and it's called a hot
dog.
Oh, yeah.
Now it's not what you think.
Right?
This called a Hot dog. But inKorea, corn dogs are what they call
hot dogs. It arrived in the80s and it's been evolving ever since.
The classic version is athick, chewy dough around a sausage.
Okay.
It's sprinkled with sugar anddrizzled with ketchup and mustard.
(06:10):
Yum.
I have had this delicacy andit is amazing.
Amazing.
Apparently they say the cheeseversion is the one that took off.
Mozzarella and cheddar are themost popular fillings. Okay. So I
want you to think of the bestcorn dog you've ever had. Oh, yeah.
Now you're gonna take a cheesestick. It's wrapped in batter. The
skewer of cheese and batter isrolled in either cut up french fries
(06:33):
or hash browns. And then as ifit's not enough already, that whole
thing is rolled in panko breadcrumbs.
Wow.
And then just like the hot dogversion, it's sprinkled with sugar
and it's topped with ketchupand mustard. And I'm telling you,
if you get a chance to trythis, it's one of the best things
I've ever had.
So good.
I mean, but you can go allover the world and to get cheese
(06:55):
on a stick. But the bestplace, according to WisState Fair.com,
which is the Wisconsin StateFair website, they have a whole bunch
of stuff made of cheese.
Oh, yeah.
They've got the French onioncheese pool.
Oh, yeah.
This thing is inspired byclassic French onion soup, but it's
deep fried. And on a stickthey have a beer battered corn dog
(07:16):
dipped in hot cheddar. Theyhave a deep fried bacon wrapped cheddar
hot dog on a stick. At thispoint, this almost seems boring,
but they have deep friedcheese on a stick. And I have to
give you the honorablementions that aren't cheese. But
there are so many things on astick here. I just can't even explain.
The worst one is called buggedout frozen cheesecake on a stick.
(07:38):
And it's exactly what youthink. It's cheesecake with crickets
and worms on the outside. Theyhave traditional things like candy
apples and caramel apples.They have a literal cheesecake on
a stick.
Oh boy.
They have a cornbrot on astick. Deep fried bacon wrapped tater
tots on a stick. Nice. Theyhave a deep fried Milky way bar on
a stick. A dill pickle corndog on a stick. A cool ranch Doritos
(08:03):
pickle, a funnel dog, apretzel wrapped brat honey ice cream
on a stick. Grilled chicken ona stick. Oreos, pickle jerky, sangria,
shish kebabs, spaghetti andmeatballs, and even steak and eggs.
We definitely didn't inventstreet foods, but we have taken it
to the next level.
I'm ready for a joke fondue.
(08:23):
Okay. Why did cheese want togo on a stick?
I don't know. Why?
Because it wanted to make a point.
Oh, ha ha ha.
Wanted to make a point.
It's so funny.
Make fun all you want, butthis is our 247th cheese joke.
Yeah.
And I think it was a littlebit cheesy. Thanks for listening
to Just Cheesy, the podcastepisode Street Level.
(08:45):
Thank you.
We want to hear from you. Haveyou had cheese on a stick that we
didn't mention?
Have you?
Have you had cheese on a stickthat you really love?
Did you?
Make sure to findus@justcheesy.com or wherever you
listen to podcasts.
Let us know.
Let us know your cheese story.
Stay cheesy, everybody.
Just Cheesy the podcastpresented by Just Cheesy Productions.
Hi there. I'm your host, Fondue.
I'm Cheesy.
In this week's episode, we'retalking all about cheese and street
food around the world.
Yum.
We're gonna talk about agrilled cheese truck. Roman cotija
cheese, hot chocolate, Brazilsimit, and a hot dog from Korea.
(00:26):
And of course, we're gonnatell a very cheesy joke.
I love jokes.
Stay tuned for episodes onJust Cheesy the podcast. All the
way back in 2009, someone inLA put a flat top griddle in a truck.
They did.
They melted cheese between twopieces of bread. And according to
multiple food journalismsources, the grilled cheese truck
(00:49):
became one of the definingfood truck formats of the decade.
Holy cow.
Within two years of itsopening, it won multiple food truck
awards and it spawned dozensof imitators across the country.
Wow.
And we think of this as arelatively modern thing.
Yeah.
But it's not. Not even close,really. According to multiple food
history sources, ancient Romehad something called and I'm going
(01:11):
to butcher it.
Oh, boy.
Thermopolia. Fast foodcounters built into the walls of
buildings.
Whoa.
I mean, it sounds likeconcession stands.
Yeah.
Ancient Greece had vendorsselling olives, cheese, and flatbread
in the marketplace.
Delicious.
Medieval European markets evenhad someone selling something hot
from a cart. The grilledcheese truck is just the latest version
(01:32):
of something we've been doingfor thousands of years. According
to Kitchen Sterling, Mexicohas something called elote. It comes
from the word meaning corn.Specifically, eat an ear of corn
in its soft, immature stage.Corn has been central to Mesoamerican
diets for thousands of years.Elote is a street food as we know
(01:53):
it today is grilled overcharcoal. It's slathered with mayonnaise
or crema, and it's rolled upin crumbled cotija cheese.
Yum.
It's then dusted with chilipowder and finished with lime. Wow.
Now, I think without thecotija cheese, this is just corn
on the macabre.
Yeah.
Otilla cheese is named for atown in Mexico.
It is.
It's an aged, hard, crumbly,salty cheese.
(02:14):
Yum.
According to Julie Ho Media'sfood history site, elote vendors
known as eloteros can be foundon almost every corner in Mexico,
with the dish evolvingdifferently by region.
Really?
They say some people servethis in a cup. They strip it off
the cob, they mix it withchicken stock and herbs in a version
that's called Esques. I amsorry. I am butchering these words.
(02:38):
Yeah, you are.
And then, of course, cotijacheese is added.
Yeah.
We talked a little bit aboutour next one in our breakfast episode.
Oh, yeah.
(03:35):
According to Food Drink Lifeand Arepas del Gringo, Arepas con
queso is sold from streetkiosks on virtually every corner
in Colombia. A corn cake mixedor filled with a mild melting cheese
is cooked on a griddle untilthe outside is golden and the inside
is really ooey, gooey and hot.According to immigrantstable.com,
(03:55):
the first bite produces whatbut one food writer described as
a squirt of melted cheese anda burning sensation. That's totally
worth it. Restaurants orstreet vendors that serve a repras
con queso are not sponsored,but if they were, their ad would
go right here. According toSerious Eats, Brazil has its own
cheesy street food.
(04:15):
It does.
It's called I'm so sorryTejejo calajo. This cheese is so
awesome on a hot grill. Itactually holds its shape instead
of melting into a puddle. Itgets crispy and golden on the outside
and it stays soft and moltenon the inside. And it's so popular
that Brazilian markets sellpre assembled skewers so that people
(04:37):
can take them home and makethem on their own grills.
Nice.
There was a picture in thearticle and it looked delicious.
It sort of reminds me ofhalloumi cheese.
Yeah.
Turkey has a street foodtradition that's built around a sesame
crusted ring bread called.It's sold by vendors on virtually
every corner of every city.Really? According to the Cheese Grotto
food history site, whitecheese known as beaz paneer, a brined
(05:02):
fresh cheese similar to feta,is the traditional pairing for the
simit. This sounds so good.You tear the bread, you dip it in
or layer it with cheese, andthen you eat it standing up while
going about your morning. Itcould be considered a breakfast,
a snack, or a lunch, dependingon the time of day and how hungry
you are.
So hungry.
Turkey A also has a traditionof stuffing flaky pastries called
(05:24):
bareka with lore. Cheese loreis fresh and milky, and it's kind
of like cottage cheese. Thesepastry hot pockets are sold at bakeries
and street stalls. Accordingto Cheese Grotto, this tradition
stretches back centuries.
Centuries.
And something that doesn'tstretch back centuries, but maybe
to the 80s. Oh boy. Accordingto Korea's official culture webzine,
(05:48):
Korea has its own cheesystreet food and it's called a hot
dog.
Oh, yeah.
Now it's not what you think.
Right?
This called a Hot dog. But inKorea, corn dogs are what they call
hot dogs. It arrived in the80s and it's been evolving ever since.
The classic version is athick, chewy dough around a sausage.
Okay.
It's sprinkled with sugar anddrizzled with ketchup and mustard.
(06:10):
Yum.
I have had this delicacy andit is amazing.
Amazing.
Apparently they say the cheeseversion is the one that took off.
Mozzarella and cheddar are themost popular fillings. Okay. So I
want you to think of the bestcorn dog you've ever had. Oh, yeah.
Now you're gonna take a cheesestick. It's wrapped in batter. The
skewer of cheese and batter isrolled in either cut up french fries
(06:33):
or hash browns. And then as ifit's not enough already, that whole
thing is rolled in panko breadcrumbs.
Wow.
And then just like the hot dogversion, it's sprinkled with sugar
and it's topped with ketchupand mustard. And I'm telling you,
if you get a chance to trythis, it's one of the best things
I've ever had.
So good.
I mean, but you can go allover the world and to get cheese
(06:55):
on a stick. But the bestplace, according to WisState Fair.com,
which is the Wisconsin StateFair website, they have a whole bunch
of stuff made of cheese.
Oh, yeah.
They've got the French onioncheese pool.
Oh, yeah.
This thing is inspired byclassic French onion soup, but it's
deep fried. And on a stickthey have a beer battered corn dog
(07:16):
dipped in hot cheddar. Theyhave a deep fried bacon wrapped cheddar
hot dog on a stick. At thispoint, this almost seems boring,
but they have deep friedcheese on a stick. And I have to
give you the honorablementions that aren't cheese. But
there are so many things on astick here. I just can't even explain.
The worst one is called buggedout frozen cheesecake on a stick.
(07:38):
And it's exactly what youthink. It's cheesecake with crickets
and worms on the outside. Theyhave traditional things like candy
apples and caramel apples.They have a literal cheesecake on
a stick.
Oh boy.
They have a cornbrot on astick. Deep fried bacon wrapped tater
tots on a stick. Nice. Theyhave a deep fried Milky way bar on
a stick. A dill pickle corndog on a stick. A cool ranch Doritos
(08:03):
pickle, a funnel dog, apretzel wrapped brat honey ice cream
on a stick. Grilled chicken ona stick. Oreos, pickle jerky, sangria,
shish kebabs, spaghetti andmeatballs, and even steak and eggs.
We definitely didn't inventstreet foods, but we have taken it
to the next level.
I'm ready for a joke fondue.
(08:23):
Okay. Why did cheese want togo on a stick?
I don't know. Why?
Because it wanted to make a point.
Oh, ha ha ha.
Wanted to make a point.
It's so funny.
Make fun all you want, butthis is our 247th cheese joke.
Yeah.
And I think it was a littlebit cheesy. Thanks for listening
to Just Cheesy, the podcastepisode Street Level.
(08:45):
Thank you.
We want to hear from you. Haveyou had cheese on a stick that we
didn't mention?
Have you?
Have you had cheese on a stickthat you really love?
Did you?
Make sure to findus@justcheesy.com or wherever you
listen to podcasts.
Let us know.
Let us know your cheese story.
Stay cheesy, everybody.
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