The roadside between La Paz Centro and the Pan-American Highway is lined with thatched stands selling nothing but quesillos. The dish is simple — corn tortilla, melted white quesillo cheese, pickled onions, salt, and a heavy pour of crema — but the version made here, with the local cheese, is the benchmark. A single quesillo costs about 20 córdobas and arrives wrapped in a plastic bag with a straw for sipping the cream that ends up at the bottom.
The vendors are clustered along the highway at the entrance to town and inside the central market. Order one to eat now, then one or two more to take with you; they survive a bus ride. Beware: locals warn that drinking water immediately after a quesillo is asking for trouble.