Evaporated milk, condensed milk

Purists may be surprised at the mention of these ingredients. Of course, all dairy products in Mexico are of European origin, beginning with the first cattle and goats brought by the conquerors. Milk has been drunk in Mexico since the sixteenth century, but not until canning technology was developed in the nineteenth century could milk be safely held for any period of time in the tropics, or easily brought to people in remote areas. Canned milk products quickly became important parts of our cooking in their own right. For most everyday uses, people enjoy not only the convenience but the taste of evaporated milk. Most cafés serve leche de lata (canned milk) instead of half-and-half or fresh milk, and use it to make cappuccino. Mother added it to Calabacitas con Queso and chile con queso. Condensed milk, with its flavor of caramelized sugar and milk sugar, is the only thing some cooks will accept when they want the effect of sweetened milk boiled down to a fare-thee-well that is important in many Mexican puddings and custards. My sister Marina’s recipe for Flan—Queso de Nápoles with both evaporated and condensed milk is not some weird aberration!