🧑🤝🧑 Argentines
Also known as: Argentinians
Dulce de leche is a point of national pride and the filling for alfajores cookies.
Argentines are the people of Argentina, a South American country with the vast plains of the pampas. In Argentina, a land of pampas and large-scale cattle raising, milk and dairy products are everyday food, and cow’s milk is the main kind. Dairy sweets hold a special place in the national cuisine.
The chief one is dulce de leche: milk and sugar are cooked down for a long time until the mixture thickens and turns golden brown. Its colour and aroma come from Maillard reaction products, melanoidins. Dulce de leche is spread on bread, added to cakes, pancakes and ice cream, and used in alfajores — biscuits sandwiched with this filling and often coated in chocolate.
The origin of dulce de leche is disputed. A popular Argentine legend dates its invention to the first half of the 19th century, but this is folklore, not a documented fact; neighbouring Uruguay also claims it as its own treat. Researchers describe dulce de leche as a popular product of the whole Río de la Plata region.
What it includes
- Traditional products
How it connects to milk
🧑🤝🧑 Argentines ← among ← 🍯 Dulce de leche → made from → 🥛 Cow's milk → type of → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Where they live
- 🌍 Latin America
- Traditional products
- 🍯 Dulce de leche
Frequently asked questions
What is dulce de leche?
A thick caramel “milk jam” made from cow’s milk and sugar cooked down until golden brown.
What are alfajores?
Biscuits sandwiched with dulce de leche, often coated in chocolate or desiccated coconut.
Who invented dulce de leche?
No one knows for sure; Argentina and Uruguay both claim it, and popular legends about its origin are not backed by documents.