Everything about Condensed Milk totally explained
Condensed milk, also known as
sweetened condensed milk, is
cow's milk from which
water has been removed and to which
sugar has been added, yielding a very thick, sweet product that can last for years without refrigeration if unopened. The two terms, condensed milk and sweetened condensed milk, have become synonymous; though there have been unsweetened condensed milk products, today these are uncommon. Condensed milk is used in numerous dessert dishes in many countries.
A related product is
evaporated milk, which has undergone a more complex process and which isn't sweetened.
Background
Condensed milk was first developed in the
United States in
1856 by
Gail Borden, Jr. in reaction to difficulties in storing milk for more than a few hours. Before this development,
milk could only be kept fresh for a few days and so was only available in the immediate vicinity of a
cow. While returning from a trip to
England in
1851, Borden was devastated by the death of several children, apparently due to poor milk from shipboard cows. With less than a year of schooling and following in a wake of failures both of his own and others, Borden was inspired by the
vacuum pan he'd seen used by
Shakers to condense
fruit juice and was at last able to reduce milk without scorching or
curdling it. Even then, his first two factories failed and only the third, in
Wassaic, New York, produced a usable milk derivative that was long-lasting and needed no refrigeration.
Probably of equal importance for the future of milk was Borden's requirements for farmers who wanted to sell him raw milk: they were required to wash
udders before milking, keep barns swept clean, and scald and dry their strainers morning and night. By
1858 Borden's milk, sold as Eagle Brand, had gained a reputation for purity, durability and economy.
The
federal government of the United States ordered huge amounts of it as a field ration for Union soldiers during the
American Civil War. This was an extraordinary field ration for the nineteenth century: a typical 400 g (14 oz) can contains 1,300 calories, 30 g each of protein and fat, and more than 200 g of carbohydrate. Soldiers returning home from the Civil War soon spread the word. By the late
1860s, condensed milk was a major product. This type of milk is used in recipes for the popular Brazilian candy
brigadeiro,
lemon meringue pie,
key lime pie, caramel candies and other desserts. In parts of Asia and Europe, sweetened condensed milk is the preferred milk to be added to coffee or
sweetened tea. The
Vietnamese use condensed milk to flavour their coffee,
cà phê sữa đá. A popular treat in Asia is to put condensed milk on toast and eat it in a similar way as jam and toast. Nestle has even produced a squeeze bottle similar to Smucker's jam squeeze bottles for this very purpose.
According to the writings of
Marco Polo, the
Tartars were able to condense milk. Ten pounds of milk paste was carried by each man who would mix the product with water. However, this probably refers to the soft Tartar curd which can be made into a drink ("airan") by diluting it, and therefore to fermented, not fresh milk concentrate.
Substitutions
1 cup of condensed milk is roughly equivalent to 1 cup of
evaporated milk plus 1 1/4 cups sugar dissolved.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Condensed Milk'.
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