dulce de leche, literally “sweet of milk,” is a caramel-flavored syrup made by boiling down milk with added sugar. It is found in various forms across Latin America: cajeta in Mexico (from the small wooden boxes in which it was traditionally sold), manjar (“delicacy”) in Peru and Chile, doce de leite in Brazil, and arequipe in Colombia. If further boiled down, dulce de leche gives rise to fudgy confections (jamoncillo being one of the Mexican varieties). Although artisanal production continues, today homemade dulce de leche is more likely to result from simmering a can of condensed milk for several hours. Industrially produced versions are widely sold.
