chile con queso

or chil·i con que·so

[ chil-ee kon key-soh ]

noun

1. a Tex-Mex dip of melted cheese with hot peppers, onion, and tomato, usually served as an appetizer with tortilla chips.

Word History and Origins

Origin of chile con queso¹

First recorded in 1915–20; from Mexican Spanish: literally “chile with cheese”; chili ( def ), queso ( def )

Example Sentences

But to many Americans, particularly those with roots in Texas, it is shorthand for chile con queso, a cheesy dip with chile peppers that is a staple at social gatherings of all types.

From Washington Post

The dip’s origins can be traced to Northern Mexico’s chile con queso.

From Washington Post

“Then, in the early 1920s, a recipe with the name Chile con Queso appeared in the ‘Woman’s Club Cook Book of Tested and Tried Recipes’ published by the Woman’s Club of San Antonio,” Fain wrote.

From Washington Post

Another important distinction is that “it was the first chile con queso recipe to call specifically for American cheese. A truly American queso in both name and style had arrived.”

From Washington Post

I dust it over simmered roasted green chiles, which I cap with blistered asadero cheese for a Borderlands-style chile con queso.

From Salon