Dulce de Leche - An Argentine Treat

“Dulce de leche” (“Candy of Milk”) is simply milk and sugar, cooked until a brownish sweet pasted is formed. 

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding its origin. But history says that dulce the leche was born on July 17 of 1829 in Argentina, where it’s considered a national treasure. According to the legend, General Lavalle and Juan Manuel de Rosas (who were enemies in the context of Argentina’s sedition war) were to meet in the city of Cañuelas to negotiate the end of the war. Lavalle arrived to Rosas’s camp but Rosas was late for the meeting, Lavalle, feeling very tired, took a nap in the nearest bed. He was seen by one of Rosas’s female servants, who was making “Lechada” (Hot milk with sugar). The servant was outraged when she saw Lavalle in Rosas’s bed, and went to get Rosas, forgetting the milk with sugar over the fire. When she came back, she found the milk had turned into a brownish paste. Someone unknown tasted that paste and found it delicious.          

To make it in the oven, you have to empty a can of condensed milk into an oven-proof dish and tightly cover it with foil. Then, put the covered dish in a bigger casserole pan and fill it with water until it reaches three quarters of the covered dish. Cook it at 425 degrees F for an hour to 90 minutes. Remember to check the water level every half an hour and add more if it’s needed. When the paste looks brown and like a caramel, you must take it from the oven and whisk to smooth it. As per chef Naomi Robinson, it is his favorite way to prepare it since it gives a smooth creamy texture in short work. 

To make it on the stove, you must remove the label from the can first and pierce three holes forming a triangle on top of the can. After that, place the can in a sauce pan and fill the pan with water three-quarters of the way up the side of the can. When the water reaches its boiling point, keep it there for three to four hours (Closer to four for a thicker texture). Once it’s ready, allow it to cool slightly, pour the paste in a bowl and whisk it. According to Naomi Robinson, “This method takes the longest, but it allows for the most control over the consistency”.

The fastest way is making it in the microwave You have to empty one can of sweetened condensed milk into a large glass bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Cook it for two minutes with the microwave on medium power. Then remove it and stir it with a whisk. Then cook it for another two minutes on medium power, remove it and stir it again. After that, cook it for another ten minutes in intervals of two minutes, stirring between each interval. For a thicker paste, you can cook it for another three minutes in one minute intervals.

Eating in Argentina

People from Argentina are known as avid eaters. Food is present in most social gatherings. An invitation to have dinner at home is a classic indication of friendship, and having lunch with your family on Sundays is a sacred tradition.

In Argentina fresh full-flavored food reigns and meals seldom come from a frozen food case in a supermarket. A crucial component of typical Argentine cuisine is beef. Argentina is the country with the second highest consumption rate of beef. The average argentine eats 55kg in a year.

While ordering steak at a restaurant in Argentina, the waiter will ask your preference of cut. “Bife de lomo” means sirloin steak, cut very lean. “Bife de chorizo” is juicier and fattier than “Bife de lomo”. “Vacio” means London Broil. “Matambre” is a fatty flank steak. The waiter will also ask you about the way you want it cooked. If you say “jugoso” your steak will be cooked rare. If you request your steak “al punto” it’ll be done medium rare. If you say “Bien cocido” your steak will be cooked well done.

One national dish that’s present in many social occasions is one called “asado” (barbecue). Typically, the asado starts by burning the charcoal. The charcoal tends to come from national trees, but not from trees with a strong smell such as eucalyptus and pines.

There are two ways to cook an asado. It can be cook “Al asador”, in which case a fire is made on the ground or in “asadores” (metal crosses surrounding a fire pit) that hold the meat so it can get heat from the fire. The other option is to cook it “A la parrilla”, this means making the fire and placing a grill over it after the charcoal had formed. Cooking the meat usually takes around an hour and a half. So, while waiting for the beef to be done, Argentines eat chorizos, black sausages (morcillas), cow chitterlings (Chinchulines) or sweetbread (mollejas). At the end of the gathering, there is always a round of applause to congratulate the person who made the asado for a job well done.

Another common dish in Argentina are empanadas, which are very often served as an entrance but can very well be the main course. Empanadas are made by folding dough around stuffing such as ham, cheese, tuna, vegetables, beef or chicken. In places that serve several types of empanadas, diferent “repulgues” or patterns are added to the pastry fold to indicate the stuffing of the empanada. Arabian empanadas are also popular in Argentina. These ones are filled with beef, tomatoes, onion, and lemon juice.

“Empanadas are the perfect traveler food. They are cheap, quick, high comfort and often oozing with cheesiness”, said expert traveler, Daniel Noll.  And he added “Also, keep your eye out for Arabic empanadas. When done well, they offer a new set of flavors to wake up tired taste buds”.

After a delicious meal, Argentines, like Mediterranean people, love to have a good cup of coffee.