Why sweetened condensed milk (leche condensada) is a significant ingredient in Latin American cuisine
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To signal a good moment when in doubt, open a can of sweetened condensed milk. In order to reveal a rich, milky curtain of delicious dairy joy, unseal the tin and pry up the top. The truth of being merely joyful is concealed within this 14-ounce tin, in the rich, sweet swirls.
Being very happy, as some Latinos might put it.
While rows and rows of sweetened condensed milk may not be required for every Latino, many include it as part of a well-stocked pantry shelf. My family considers consuming plenty of condensed milk to be a sacrament. When my mother comes to visit, I always exclaim, "Look," and then I swiftly point her in the direction of my kitchen and wave at my massive collection of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk cans.
Sweetened condensed milk serves as a type of solace for a nation with limited access to reliable, stable, and secure food sources in Cuba, the country of my mother's birth. Condensed milk has a longer shelf life since the water has been removed; this makes it beneficial for distant areas without access to fresh dairy. These days, the product is the ideal complement to Latin American delicacies like Cuban flan, the dessert brigadier, and tres leches, a beloved cake from Nicaragua and Mexico.
It's important to examine its history in order to comprehend how sweetened condensed milk came to be used often throughout Latin America.
Honestly, I had accepted my mother's version of the past for years. She would claim, chin up, that sweetened condensed milk originated in Cuba. Unfortunately, her records indicate that the chicken, the egg, and perhaps even God himself originated in her beloved small island nation.
History, however, attributes it to an American.
Gail Borden Jr., a New Yorker, is credited with creating the method for producing sweetened condensed milk in 1853. The human propensity to consume dairy products from cows was at its peak at this point. Cows were simple to train, and production was inexpensive.
The fact that refrigerators hadn't been created, however, meant that there was always a risk of the milk spoiling. Dairy producers frequently diluted milk with water to boost profits. The Smithsonian claims that this produced an ugly "bluish-gray hue." Chalk, plaster dust, and dye were utilized as cosmetic enhancements, but these additions frequently resulted in disease.
Borden was driven to find a remedy for the contaminated milk that had sickened and killed several children while traveling from London. Former Union troops who had received sweetened condensed milk as food rations from the American government presented the product to the general public much later, following the American Civil War.
So, how did it come to be a Latino mainstay?
If you look closely at the history of sweetened condensed milk, you'll discover that the exact date of its debut in Latin America is really a little hazy. (It transpires that other mothers as well have made claims that sweetened condensed milk was created in or first introduced to their nation.)
However, according to Greta Gaard's book "Animal Colonialism: The Case of Milk," it is reasonable to argue that the introduction of sweetened condensed milk to Latin America filled a need that could have only been filled by, you guessed it, colonialism. The 2017 essay by Gaard describes how the 16th-century introduction of milk to the region was a result of European colonization of Latin America. Cow's milk wasn't seen to be helpful until the 18th century when there was a greater need for female labor due to industrialization.
The Journal of Food Law & Policy's "Milk and the Motherland?" article by Merisa S. Thompson describes how Nestlé intervened in 1914 with sweetened condensed milk to "curb adulteration and enhance the hygienic quality of milk." In order to "distribute Nestlé-manufactured" condensed milk in the Caribbean, Nestlé established a trading company in Port of Spain at this time.
By 1921, Nestlé developed La Lechera, marketing the new sweetened condensed milk brand to markets in Latin America, Spain, and Latinos in the U.S. Eagle Brand also developed a condensed milk brand with a focus on attracting Latino consumers by introducing Magnolia Sweetened Condensed Milk to grocery shelves.
Sweetened condensed milk is a popular ingredient used frequently in Latin American cooking these days. Skim the desserts section of most Latino menus, and you’ll find sweetened condensed milk-laden desserts.
Consider the Mexican restaurant Fonda San Miguel in Austin, Texas, which serves Arroz con Leche, a rice pudding that has been sweetened with condensed milk.
The quinoa with Leche and banana tres leches at Los Balcones, a Peruvian restaurant in Los Angeles, is steeped in condensed milk. The Colombian eatery Adorn in Chicago offers a dish called Solterita & Cream that includes nitro condensed milk "rocks."
If you're fortunate enough to reside in a city with Latin American food trucks, leave your neighborhood for a straightforward condensed milk treat or beverage.
Personally, I believe that El Chato Taco Truck's horchata is unrivaled.
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