Sweet Miracle, Sweet Milk

Sweet miracle: dulce de leche

Indeed, to all those truly fond of sweets, this Argentine candy sort of caramel jam is a treat from the Gods. Milk Jam, would be the most accurate translation. It’s a very simple and basic preparation, as it always happen with some of the highly appreciated pleasures to the palate. Milk, sugar, a pinch of sodium bicarbonate and just a touch of vanilla plus some extra charm and patience of a loving cook, will provide you with this delightful Argentine treat.

But, as it usually happens with these sorts of natural products, the story of its origins, and why not, invention is told in legend myth kind of way. Both, Uruguay and Argentina, dispute the creation of Dulce de Leche. These neighboring countries do share much more than frontiers, for their culture and traditions are in many cases identical, and the fact that these are two different countries we should address it to politics and wars, rather than a significant social and cultural difference or dispute. That said, and this being an article written by an Argentinean, I’d have the courage of telling our "true side" of the story about the origins of this superlative sweet jam. Before telling the story, the legend, I would like to point out that a similar sort of milk jam can be found elsewhere in Latin America; but it’s not dulce de leche, this is known as manjar blanco –white delicacy, and in this case the milk and sugar mix is thickened by adding some corn starch.

The story begins in July 17th 1829, our scenery is the broad and beautiful countryside town of Cañuelas in the outskirts of the province of Buenos Aires. These were the years of the Independence revolution aftermath, the country was not unified yet, and a myriad of intestine disputes and confrontations lead the Republic to be, into unstable years. Two of the main characters within the political arena of the moment were General Lavalle and Juan Manuel de Rosas (the man who would become governor of Buenos Aires, the richest province within the Nation, and would perpetrate himself in power throughout decades). Representing two of the conflictive sides, they had come to agreement to cease fire and organize a democratic transition through means of elections. On July 17th General Lavalle after a long journey arrives to Rosas camp section to discuss the details. For he was exhausted after such a long ride he peacefully fell asleep. Just a while after his arrival, one of Rosas servants –who was busy preparing the afternoon sugar, milk and mate- enters the scene to find her Master’s "deadly enemy" laying asleep in Rosas bed. Scandalized by the offence, she immediately went to seek aid to control the situation…Leaving in such a rush that she forgot to remove the boiling milk and sugar from the fire. In those days of horses and carriages, there were no phones or cars to rush from a place to an other… some 40 minutes latter she returns with backup help to find that the milk and sugar beverage had turn into a sort of brown jelly; Master Rosas, was already back in camp and aware of the situation let Lavalle spend the night and hoped that after a good night sleep they would be able to find some agreement. As to the brownish jelly, this was the true moment in which Dulce de leche was invented…