Everything about Manjar Blanco totally explained
Manjar blanco is a term used to refer to a variety of delicacies in the
Spanish-speaking world. In
Spain the term refers to
blancmange, a
European delicacy found in various parts of the continent as well as the
United Kingdom. In the
Americas (
South America primarily) it refers to a sweet, white spread or pastry filling made with
milk. This term is sometimes used interchangeably with
dulce de leche (or ) or
cajeta in
Latin America but these terms generallyrefer to delicacies prepared differently from those just described.
Spain
Manjar blanco in
Spain and in other parts of
Europe refers to a dessert (
blancmange in English), traditionally white in color although often
colored by added ingredients, made with a mould with a consistency like
gelatin (in fact modern varieties are often made with gelatin). In the
Middle ages the dish was prepared with
chicken or
fish,
rice,
sugar, and
almond milk or
milk and other ingredients The variants in Spain are often somewhat different from those in
France or the
United Kingdom.
South America
This term is used in
Peru,
Colombia (not to be confused with
natilla which is a separate but similar dish), and
Chile. It refers to a set of similar dishes traditionally made by slowly and gently cooking pure (normally non-
homogenized)
milk to thicken and reduce the volume, and gradually adding
sugar. In some regions other ingredients such as
vanilla bean, citrus juices,
cinnamon, and even
rice may also be added. Usually a
double boiler of some sort is employed so as to prevent browning of the mixture (which would give it a different flavor). The result is a white or cream-colored, thick spread with a consistency much like that of a thick cake frosting although the flavor is more like that of sweetened
cream (with accents of whatever additional ingredients may have been added). The cooking process is largely the same as for creating
sweetened condensed milk except that the result is normally thicker.
Although manjar blanco can be used as spread much like
jelly or
jam is used in the U.S., it's also commonly used as a filling for
pastries and
cookies such as
alfajores and
tejas.
Dulce de leche
The
Argentine term
dulce de leche, the
Colombian term
arequipe, the
Mexican term
cajeta, and the
Peruvian term
natillas refer to a
somewhat different preparation than that just described. "Manjar blanco" is sometimes used to refer to a dulce de leche, especially in
Uruguay. The primary difference is that the mixture is deliberately scalded to bring about caramelization of the sugars in the ingredients. This leads to a fairly dark brown color and a strong flavor. Note that the name
manjar blanco refers to white color in
Spanish which implies that dulce de leche can't be properly referred to as
manjar blanco. As a practical matter even in countries that have had the traditional (white) manjar blanco as part of their cuisine, dulce de leche is increasingly being used in its place since it's easier to prepare.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Manjar Blanco'.
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