Talk:Dulce de leche

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is within the scope of the following WikiProjects:

Contents

[edit] Argentinian and Uruguayan dish

Dulce de leche is an Argentinian and Uruguayan dish, the other countries Peru, Us, Chile have adopted it but it's not original from there.

Besides the central american sweet "cajeta" is not exactly like dulce de leche (which is more similar to the Uruguayan and American version).

And it's not exactly like the majar blanco.

Dulce de leche, its proper form, it's eaten in Argentina, Uruguay and the United States.

These other forms (manjar blanco and cajeta) should have their own articles.

[edit] Cajeta

Dulce de leche is extremely popular in Mexico and Central America as well, although it is known with a different name, "cajeta" (a word for dulce the leche accepted by the Real Academia Española). Unfortunately this word has a second meaning in the Argentine and Chilean slang (with sexual connotations). Nonetheless, cajeta is the word used for dulce de leche, and it is as popular in Mexico and Central America as it is in South America. Also, the most common ducle de leche is made out of cow's milk, but in Mexico, dulce de leche made out of goat's milk is popular as well. --Comment unsigned by J.Alonso

ok. great. why did you post this in the discussion page, instead of the article? --Gerardo199 19:54, July 29, 2005 (UTC)
I'm Argentinian and actually here the word "cajeta" is not used with sexual connotations. You're crazy, J.Alonso? --200.123.161.135 04:18, 20 December 2005 (UTC)
Come on, man! Unless you've been living on top of the Aconcagua since birth, you should know Cajeta DOES have sexual connotation in Argentina. I laughed my ars off when, in Mexico, I bought some Bigotes de Cajeta (they were actually good). Mariano(t/c) 09:28, 20 December 2005 (UTC)
Yup, I guess the anonymous user lives on the top of the Aconcagua. Or perhaps, he is extremely naïve. --J.Alonso 19:19, 28 December 2005 (UTC)
I may be being nit-picky about this, but the article makes it sound as though it is called 'cajeta' in Central America, too. It is called 'dulce de leche' at least in El Salvador and Guatemala.–Bspacheco 06:11, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

In Costa Rica it is called Dulce de Leche (Cajeta is a solid tablet made from dulce de leche like tablet, or coconut and or with powder milk, but not the same as Dulce de Leche). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 196.40.65.166 (talk) 21:43, 28 January 2008 (UTC)


Does the solid version of dulce de leche bear any relation to tablet? Cammy 23:54, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

Following the recepy, yes. My mom used to make dulce de leche by cooking a closed Condensed milk can in boiling water. Nevertheless, I'm not sure they are historically related. Mariano(t/c) 11:05, 17 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "Milk candy"

Is this an accurate translation? I'd say that "dulce" in this case refers more to "jam" than "candy". "Milk jam" would be more accurate (plus it redirects to this article, whereas "milk candy" doesn't). Cheers! -- ironcito 07:21, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

"Dulce de leche" is literally "sweet of milk" so I'd say "milk candy" is closer than "milk jam". JFD 01:06, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
The word Dulce means jam in parts of latin america, such as Argentina and Chile, but I don't know which one suits the name better. Christophe Lasserre 02:01, 30 May 2007 (UTC)
In England, a "sweet" is what Americans would call "dessert." Also, "sweets" are sometimes referred to as "pudding" (or "pud", as in, "What's for pud tonight?"). So, "milk dessert" or "milk pudding" might come close.71.161.155.126 15:40, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Toffee

Perhaps is more easy to understand if you compare toffee (English toffee) whith "dulce de leche". In this way "dulce de leche" is a soft-toffee. Essentially is the same.

Nope. It's identical to Scots tablet but there's only a vague resemblance to toffee, English or otherwise. Toffee ain't crumbly. -- Derek Ross | Talk 07:48, 26 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Alcoholic drink?

I saw the musical Guys and Dolls a couple of months ago at my friend's high school and in the cabana scene Sky orders a "Dulce de leche" for Sarah when she asks for a milkshake, and it turns out to be an alcoholic drink he uses to basically trick her into getting drunk. The dialogue goes a little something like this:

Sky: How about a drink?

Sarah: A milkshake, please.

Sky (to the waitress): Dulce de leche.

Sarah (after getting her drink): These are delicious, what did you call them?

Sky: Dulce de leche.

Sarah: Dulce de leche... what's in it, besides milk?

Sky: Oh, sugar... and a sort of native flavoring.

Sarah: What's the name of the flavoring?

Sky: Bacardi.

Sarah: Doesn't Bacardi have alcohol in it?

Sky: Only enough to act as a preservative.

If you've seen Guys and Dolls you know that Sarah ends up drunk, but anyways, I'm just wondering a lot about this now, because the article says nothing about a drink that goes by the same name. Anyone have any information on this? Shivers talk 23:38, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Peruvian stuff

I don't know much about the varieties of milk/sugar spreads in other countries, but I do know something about the spread in Peru. First, this spread is nothing like what is termed "Dulce de Leche" in the U.S. (the appearance and flavor are very different). Second, the spread in Peru is not "caramelized," per se (or at least not nearly to the degree that the stuff in the U.S. is). In particular, Manjar Blanco is an off-white color (hence the name). The brown color commonly seen in the U.S. variety is something different. I think this article needs to be clearer in terms of what specifically is being discussed.

[edit] Rivalry and further comments on the subject

Hey there, I'm Gustavo and I want to introduce myself and to collaborate in this beautiful project. By the way, "dulce de leche", as you mention here, is not Argentinian but Uruguayan as well, so I would rather use the word River Plate or Rio de la Plata in order to include both of them. You will see, there are several theories on the subject and you may have your opinions which do not prove to be fully considered as true or reliable evidence. Indeed, we should take into account the fact that Uruguay and Argentina were and still are countries with a similar history, more or less the same kind of culture and customs and, what is more, we both speak "Rioplatense Spanish", perhaps that being the reason why here, in Europe and in other countries in the globe, people tend to associate Uruguay with Argentina and viceversa. They don't see the difference, then, I say, should we? It's not my aim to argue about something irrelevant but I thought we, as River Plate brothers, must take conscience of this fact and stop with that rivalry. I would like to include the Uruguayan theory and, actually, I'll do it as soon as I have time. For now I can only say that African slaves may have introduced dulce de leche into the country and then spread all over the region. I'm not saying that this idea has to be considered as truth, when everyone knows that the origins of this jam is a subject to discuss. Finally, "dulce de leche" is available in some places here in Spain and Andorra, and has nothing to do with Peruvian or other versions of the product. The flavor is different, the color changes according to the ingredients that each country employs and the "name" is also different. In Chile, for instance, the so called "dulce de leche" contains, among its main ingredients, nut cream and, sometimes, chocolate. I agree with those who said that dulce de leche must have an article of it own. --Gustave - May I help you? 00:18, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] French Invention

I actually heard that dulce de leche was actually invented in Bretagne by a nationalistic french teacher in my school who also claims, for instance that the Malvinas should actually be french... What exactly makes that point of view more valid than the Argentine one??? I mean, and i'm quoting from this atricle,"It is, however, more likely to have its origins in Europe"... Maberk, 12/11/06

I guess you mean the Dulce de Leche and not the Malvinas. You have to have in mind the importance of Dulce de Leche to Argentina and the hole South America; wereas it might have it origin elsewere (I would remove the more likely from the text) it is mostly important in the context of the Argentine cuisine. Mariano(t/c) 12:35, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cajeta Vs Dulce de leche?

the cajeta article is too short and should be merged into the Dulce de leche article. I also think cajeta is just a type of dulce de leche and it's the same thing as AREQUIPE.. typical of Colombia, Venezuela and other countries.. remember the obleas?. the name may be mexican but cajeta or arequipe isn't solely mexican or invented in mexico, neither Colombia or venezuela.. so these articles are inaccurate and must provide references. —Preceding unsigned comment added by F3rn4nd0 (talk • contribs)

Well, Cajeta is from goat's milk (I believe), and Dulce de Leche from cow's. It might not be a big difference, but the final product is not exactly the same. Arequipe is somehow whiter and also tates rather differently. I'm not sure it is such a bad idea leaving each regional version separatelly.--Mariano(t/c) 12:20, 11 January 2007 (UTC)
Cajeta is usually made half&half (goat and cow's milk), but I believe both cajeta and arequipe fall under the same general concept of "Dulce de leche". In spite of the small variations in ingredients (quite normal in transnational products), cajeta is synonym of dulce de leche, at least in Mexico, though I do not know if it is the case in Central America. Like F3rn4nd0 suggested, I agree on merging the articles. It makes no sense to have separate articles (treating them as two different things) and then speaking about the legendary origins of all types of dulce de leche. --Dúnadan 16:59, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Arequipe is fairly distinct from Cajeta and should not be merged, being Colombian and familiar with both I would have to say that due to the big difference in flavor and cultural identification that the name implies they really should be treated separate. just because crepes and pancakes look similar and are made of virtually the same ingredients does not mean they are the same thing.

[edit] More terminology debates

Let me toss in my two cents on the terminology stuff. My knowledge of this is limited to the Peruvian confection Manjar Blanco and the U.S. confection Dulce de Leche. I can tell you that these are very different things. As a practical matter I believe that the basic ingredients are the same (although the minor flavorings may be different) but the preparation is different. The key difference is the caramelization of the sugars which gives dulce de leche its brown color and strong flavor. This is NOT the case for manjar blanco which is why it has a more creamy flavor and white color (hence the name). Unfortunately I have little knowledge of the confections of other countries so I do not know which type of confection applies to which country. As far as the cajeta/ariquipe debate above I cannot say what each refers to. One thing that adds to the confusion today is that in many places dulce de leche is gradually creeping in as a replacement for manjar blanco since it is easier to make.

One specific comment: The Spanish "Manjar blanco" article says that Chile uses "manjar" to refer to dulce de leche whereas this page says that it refers to "manjar blanco" like Peru. Can somebody resolve the discrepancy? --Mcorazao 16:14, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

I noticed too and fixed this. Christophe Lasserre 02:07, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Maillard or not?

From dulce de leche article: "Although the transformation that occurs in preparation is often called caramelization, it is actually a form of the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction that is responsible for many of the flavors of cooked food." From Maillard reaction article: " The following things are NOT a result of the Maillard browning reaction: caramel made from milk and sugar, especially in candies". So which is it? Caramel also contains this contradiction. 76.202.58.168 04:51, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Location of Starbucks fact

I moved the sentance about starbucks offering dulce de leche flavored lattes and frappachinos from the "origins" section to the main section. It still seems a little out of place so if anyone thinks it needs to be moved or changed around to fit better with the rest of the information, please do so. Glassbreaker5791 16:51, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Other Dulce de Leche products

I presume you don't want this wikipedia entry to become a list of products, but I thought I'd mention that The Hershey Company seems to have a number of new ones that are flavored with DdL. Hershey's Dulce de Leche Syrup

It seems that they tried dulce de leche kisses but they aren't listed on their products list now so maybe they weren't popular enough.

According to this, Nabisco also has DdL-flavored Oreos. jwilkinson (talk) 19:11, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cooking in sealed vs vented can? More directions and/or Warnings?

I noticed that the recipe linked to here mentions puncturing the can before slow-cooking. I was taught to cook it with the can sealed. (though making *very* sure that the water covered it at all times.) I notice that Carnation's condensed milk can is saying "Caution - never heat in the can." I don't know if there is some real risk there or if it is mainly lawyer CYA. Is it appropriate for this WP entry to talk more about how it is made, to offer any different versions, and/or to offer any verified safety warnings? jwilkinson (talk) 19:13, 27 December 2007 (UTC)