Leche frita (literally ''fried milk'') is a Spanish
sweet
Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketone ...
typical of northern
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. It is made by cooking
flour with
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...
and
sugar until it thickens to a firm dough which is then portioned, fried and served with a
sugar glaze and
cinnamon powder.
History
Though various regions claim to have invented the dish the recipe's origin is uncertain, but commonly it is considered to have originated in
Province of Palencia
Palencia is a Provinces of Spain, province of northern Spain, in the northern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Castile and León in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. It is bordered by the provi ...
from where it spread throughout the country.
[{{cite book , author=Jimenez Lozano, José, title=Libro de la Gastronomía de Castilla y León , edition=2.ª , year=1987 , publisher=Junta de Castilla y León , location=Valladolid , isbn=84-505-4108-5 , oclc=22734261 , page=245, display-authors=etal]
Preparation
As the sweet used to be homemade there exist many variations on the recipe on how to prepare and present the ''leche frita''. All of them have in common that they
simmer
Simmering is a food preparation technique by which foods are cooked in hot liquids kept just below the boiling point of water (lower than ) and above poaching temperature (higher than ). To create a steady simmer, a liquid is brought to a boil, ...
the milk with sugar, cinnamon sticks and sometimes
lemon zest. In a bowl, flour, sugar and
egg yolks are mixed and the sugar milk is poured in. The mixture is stirred until everything is well combined. This concoction is then cooked at medium heat until it thickens. The generated dough can now be moulded into round, rectangular or
rhombical shapes, rolled in stirred eggs, covered with flour and then fried. Before they are served they are glazed with sugar and sprinkled with cinnamon.
See also
*
Gulab jamun
*
Fried milk
*
Fried ice cream
Fried ice cream is a dessert made of a scoop of ice cream that is frozen hard, breaded or coated in a batter, and quickly deep-fried, creating a warm, crispy shell around the still-cold ice cream.
Origin
There are conflicting stories about th ...
*
Bread pudding
Bread pudding is a bread-based dessert popular in many countries' cuisines. It is made with stale bread and milk or cream, generally containing eggs, a form of fat such as oil, butter or suet and, depending on whether the pudding is sweet or ...
References
Spanish pastries
Cantabrian cuisine
Deep fried foods