Some of the Most Popular Mexican Desserts
There are plenty of Mexican desserts to choose from, including flan, which is a caramel custard. This dessert is made from a rich custard and has soft caramel on the top. It is called flan in many countries but the word “flan” originated in France. Flan is easy to make as long as you have a flan recipe and it usually consists of a vanilla flavored custard, which is set rather than runny. Flan comes in other flavors such as lemon, coconut, and chocolate. The history of Mexican flan actually goes back to ancient roman times.
Another popular Mexican dessert is empanadas. These are stuffed pastries with different fillings. Savory empanadas contain fillings such as ham and cheese, beef and vegetables or tuna. Sweet empanadas might contain fruits, pumpkin, or cream. Empanadas can be served as a snack, a breakfast food, or a dessert, depending on the contents.
Chocolate has a rich history in Mexico. The Aztecs adopted the use of chocolate from earlier Mayan culture. Chocolate played an important role for the Aztecs. They used it both as a food and as currency. One of the items that the Spaniards acquired from the Aztecs was chocolate. The Spaniards took the chocolate back to Spain where it became the King’s official drink.
The Aztecs made a variety of drinks with the chocolate and often added seeds, honey, and nuts. A popular Mexican chocolate drink is champurrado, especially at breakfast time when you can buy it from the street vendors. Champurrado is thick and hot and is sometimes served with churros. You can use a champurrado recipe if you want to make this champurrado Mexican drink for yourself.
Sapotes dulces is a very famous dish originating from the Yucatan. Sapotes are fruits grown locally. It is difficult to find it in America. A sapote has orange flesh and is both creamy and juicy. It can be compared in flavor to coconuts and vanilla but it has a slightly tart flavor too. Sapotes dulces is made by combining the sapote flesh with rum, sugar and orange juice. It is served cold. It is quite easy to make and tastes delicious.
Cajeta is another common Mexican recipe. It is also called crema de cajeta, dulce de leche, or leche quemada in some Mexican communities. The main ingredient is caramelized milk. To make cajeta, you need to slowly cook the syrup until it thickens. Sweetened milk is the most common ingredient in cajeta and you can use cow’s milk or goat’s milk, or a mixture of the two. Cajeta is eaten alone, on pastries or grilled bananas or as an ice cream topping. The Hershey Company has its own variety of cajeta for Mexican food fans who otherwise would not be able to find it easily in the United States.
There are so many different Mexican desserts to please your sweet tooth. There is a wide variety of chocolates, cakes, cookies, and candies, just to name a few. Recipes can allow you to experiment and discover new sweets. If you would like to sample them before making your own, some local authentic Mexican restaurants include these desserts. You may also have luck finding them at a Mexican grocer in your area. It will be easy for you to get hooked on these tasty and enjoyable treats.