User:Rathfelder/Condensed milk

Condensed milk from a plastic tube package

Condensed milk is cow's milk from which most of the water has been removed. It is usuallly sold with sugar added, as sweetened condensed milk. That is a very thick, sweet product. When it is canned it can last for years without refrigeration if not opened. It is used in desserts in many countries.

Evaporated milk is not sweetened. It takes longer to make. Evaporated milk is known in some countries as unsweetened condensed milk.

History

A monument to tinned condensed milk at a local milk-processing factory in Rahachow, Belarus

Condensed milk was manufactured in the United States in the 19th century. In 1864, Gail Borden's New York Condensed Milk Company built the New York Milk Condensery in Brewster, New York. This was the biggest and most advanced milk factory of its day. More than 200 dairy farmers supplied 20,000 US gallons (17,000 imperial gallons; 76,000 litres) of milk each day. In the American Civil War large amounts of condensed milk were supplied to Union soldiers during the war. Soldiers returning home from the war made it popular and many companies made it. In 1911, Nestlé built the world's largest condensed milk plant in Dennington, Victoria, Australia. By 1912, high stocks of condensed milk led to a drop in price and many of the companies went out of business.

Because it was easy to store and transport condensed milk was used a lot in the First World War.

Current use

Vietnamese coffee served with condensed milk

Condensed milk boiled for several hours to become varyonka, a dish similar to caramelized milk or dulce de leche

Café bombón is a Spanish variation of coffee prepared with condensed milk

Condensed milk is the main ingredient for the Brazilian candy brigadeiro. It is also used in key lime pie, caramel candies, and other desserts. Condensed milk is sometimes used with clotted cream to make fudge in the United Kingdom.

In parts of Asia and Europe, sweetened condensed milk is the preferred milk to be added to coffee or tea. Many countries in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam and Cambodia, use condensed milk to flavor their hot or iced coffee. In Malaysia and Singapore, teh tarik is made from tea mixed with condensed milk. Condensed milk is an essential element in Hong Kong tea culture. In the Canary Islands, it is served as the bottom stripe in a glass of the local café cortado. In Valencia, it is served as a café bombón. In Myanmar, condensed milk is an essential part of drinks such as coffee, milk tea and fruit juices. It is also used as a sweetener in many desserts such as popsicles.

Borden's Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk advertised that ice cream can be made quite simply at home with their product, cream, and various simple flavorings. It can be ready to serve after as little as four hours.

In New Orleans, sweetened condensed milk is often used as a topping on chocolate or similarly cream-flavored snowballs. In Scotland, it is mixed with sugar and butter and boiled to form a popular sweet candy called tablet or Swiss milk tablet. This is very like the Brazilian candy brigadeiro. In some parts of the Southern United States, condensed milk is used to make lemon ice box pie, a sort of cream pie. In the Philippines, condensed milk is mixed with evaporated milk and eggs. It is spooned into shallow metal containers over liquid caramelized sugar, and then steamed to make a stiffer and more filling version of crème caramel known as leche flan. This is also common in Brazil where it is called pudim de leite.

In Mexico, sweetened condensed milk is one of the main ingredients of the cold cake dessert, mixed with evaporated milk, Marie biscuits, lemon juice, and tropical fruit. In Brazil, this dessert is made with vanilla and chocolate, known as pavê or torta de bolacha. It is also used to make homemade dulce de leche by baking it in an oven. In Brazil, this is done by baking the unopened can in a bain-marie. The result is called doce de leite. In Britain and Ireland, the contents of a boiled can are used as the layer between the biscuit base and the banana and cream level in banoffee. There is a pastry-based tart that is popular in Kent called Gypsy tart. The pastry case is filled with a mixture of brown sugar and either condensed milk, evaporated milk, or a mixture of the two before being baked. In Latin American and Central American countries, condensed milk (along with evaporated milk and whole milk or canned cream) is used as a key ingredient in the tres leches cake dessert.

In Soviet culture, it was common to boil a can of condensed milk in water for about three hours. The resulting product is a sweet semi-liquid substance that can be used as a cake icing or put between layers. It is very like dulce de leche. A similar product is called kajmak in Central Asia (although the original kaymak is a product similar to clotted cream). In Russia its called varionaya sguschyonka (translates as "boiled condensed milk").

Substitutions

Condensed milk can be made from evaporated milk. One volume measure of evaporated milk is mixed with one and a quarter volume measure of sugar in a saucepan. The mixture is heated and stirred until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then it is cooled. It can also be made by simmering regular milk and sugar, until it is reduced by 60%.