Cajeta

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Cajeta is a Mexican confection of thickened syrup that in its most common incarnation is made of sweetened caramelized milk.

According to chef Rick Bayless, the name for cajeta came from the Spanish phrase al punto de cajeta, which means a liquid thickened to the point at which a spoon drawn through the liquid reveals the bottom of the pot in which it is being cooked. However, it is more popularly assumed that it takes its name from the small wooden boxes it was traditionally packed in. It goes by a number of other names in Latin America since in some of these countries, it has a vulgar meaning, referring to a woman's genitals. Mexican Cajeta is considered a specialty of and popularly associated with the city of Celaya in the state of Guanajuato, although it is also produced with the traditional method in several towns of the state of Jalisco, such as Mazamitla and Sayula.

The process of making cajeta involves a slow cooking down of sweetened liquid until it achieves a very thick consistency. While sweetened milk is the most well-known base for this process, other sweetened liquids or juices may be employed as bases.

In Celaya, and eventually the rest of Mexico, the confection of half goat's milk and half cow's milk became known by the name cajeta, but elsewhere, the milk candy is known as leche quemada, dulce de leche, et al. It has cousins in the many Indian milk-based sweets like pera and the milk fudge burfi, and in the opera fudge of the U.S.. Cajeta is eaten on its own as a sweet, as a spread or filling for breads and pastries, and as a topping for ice cream.

Certain liquors are added to special cajeta recipes called “Cajeta Envinada.” In addition, “Cajeta Envinada Especial” is enriched with raisins, almonds, pecans or nuts. Often topping crepes, in a sweet sauce boiled and softened down with milk to soak the crepes, resulting in a tasty dessert.

[edit] Recent events

In 2005, the Hershey Company introduced a line of cajeta flavored confections styled "Cajeta Elegancita", targeted at Mexican-food aficionados living in the United States. The marketing decision made headlines when it was discovered that the word is a risqué term for the vulva in Argentinian parlance [1].

In 2006, Texas grocery chain H-E-B introduced "Cajeta" flavored ice cream.