Leche Merengada: The Creamy Spanish Delight 2024

Spain is famous for its varied traditions, and when it comes to dishes Spaniards like to taste Leche Merengada most of all. This is a traditional Spanish dessert made from milk, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest; it’s usually accompanied by Meringue. It’s sold cold or even in its liquid form which means that it is best enjoyed during the hot weather with its satisfying and velvety mouth feel. But, do you know the history of Leche Merengada? And how it is made? What are its health benefits? How can prepare it at home?

What is Leche Merengada?

Leche Merengada is an old Spanish sweet dish or drink prepared from milk flavored with lemon and cinnamon followed by the process of whipping up with sugar and egg whites. Others may be taken as chilled beverages or else be frozen and resemble chilled beverages or semi-frozen or frozen desserts such as chilled bottled drinks or semi-frozen chilled desserts similar to ice cream. Altogether the bitter-sweet taste due to the rich base and the addition of lemon and cinnamon rind, make it quite an enjoyable treat.

https://www.loveandlemons.com/apple-crisp/Leche Merengada was delightful whether accompanied by Club Biscuit into a drink or a frozen dessert with an additional touch of orange rind and a texture similar to one of whipped egg whites.

A Brief History of Leche Merengada

Some historians could link the preparation of Leche Merengada back to the Mediterranean parts, and more to Spanish regions since milk mixed with cinnamon and lemon was popular in the ancient recipes. Stories reveal that Leche Merengada dates back to as early as the early 1500s as a drink taken mainly in the hot summer months when people required something moist to the palate.

Traditionally, cinnamon and lemon.getPath() was used in several European countries, although enthusiastic Moorish and Roman cooking practices in Spain. Leche Merengada by the way developed through the years and it became a point that it is found in almost every Spanish ice cream parlor. Today it is not only enjoyed as a retro snack but as the highly alcoholic beverages drank in numerous cafés and restaurants in Spain and other countries.

Ingredients and Recipe

1 liter of whole milk
200 grams of granulated sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 lemon skin only without getting to the white ring part of the fruit
3 egg whites
Bakers cinnamon powder (for sprinkling)
A pinch of salt

Steps to Make Leche Merengada:

Infusing the Milk: In a saucepan place milk and heat on medium heat until warm. Then add the cinnamon sticks and lemon zest. Stir now and then then let the milk come to a rolling boil. After bringing it to a boil, lower the heat and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes to allow the cinnamon and the lemon to seep into the milk. If necessary, put the saucepan on the wooden table, ignite the spirit lamp, and bring the liquid to the desired temperature to drink it cool. Remove the cinnamon and lemon zest from the milk, pour the milk into a separate container, and serve.

Sweetening the Milk: After that, put the milk aside and let it cool down to room temperature, Add 150g of sugar and stir until it combines well with the batter.

Preparing the Meringue: In another bowl, beat the egg white, in the same way as before, with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Gradually sift in the remaining sugar (50g) and continue to whisk the mixture until its stiff peaks and the appearance becomes glossy.

Combining the Milk and Meringue: Fold the meringue lightly into the cooled milk mixture being careful not to ruin the stiffness of the egg whites. Stir until well combined.

Chill or Freeze: Pour the Leche Merengada mixture into a bowl big enough to hold the spirit of the Merengada easily. If you prefer having it cold you should refrigerate it for about 2 hours. For a frozen treat, to freeze it put the mixture into the freezer for about four hours and keep stirring in between to avoid being stiff.

Serve: Lastly, place the Leche Merengada into glasses and garnish it with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. In case you would like to make a more complex dish, you should adorn it with whipped cream or grated lemon skin.

How to Serve Leche Merengada

Leche Merengada can be served in a variety of ways, depending on your preference:

Chilled: In case you want to take it as a drink, it should not be completely iced, but it should be served cold. It is famous more frequently as a summer drink and tastes best when served with cookies or small pastries.

Semi-Frozen: For a more luxurious dessert, you should freeze to a firmer state and serve it as an ice cream or sorbet-like dessert. This is a good opportunity to continue enjoying the decorated traditional sweets and so much beneficial during hot days.

Garnish and Presentation: Finally don’t forget to sprinkle ground cinnamon on the top of the cake for that extra taste and presentation. It is also best garnished with a cinnamon stick or nowadays a lemon also gives an appropriate aesthetic value.

Health Benefits of Leche Merengada

Rich in Calcium: The milk also has adequate calcium importance for the bones for the pets in the house.

Antioxidants from Cinnamon: Cinnamon has recently been identified to possess antioxidants besides containing anti-inflammatory properties.

Egg Whites for Protein: Here the whipped egg whites offer a lighter protein source without weighting the food by fats.

As much as people would love to munch on Leche Merengada regularly it is very important to remember that Leche Merengada is a dessert and should only be taken in moderate amounts. To this, the quantity of sugar can be increased or decreased depending on the individual’s choice, using healthier sweetening such as honey, and stevia among others.

Variations and Alternatives

Vegan Leche Merengada: Substitute cow’s milk with almond, soy, or oat milk, and in preparing the meringue use aquafaba, the water that chickpeas are canned in.

Leche Merngada Ice Cream: For a richer, more dense dessert, it is best to take the Leche Merengada mixture and freeze it in an ice cream maker.

Flavored Leche Merengada: It can be drizzled as is or a little vanilla extract or almond essence can be poured into it to produce a new taste. You can also try using other citrus, such as orange zest for instance to advance the taste.

Conclusion

Leche Merngada can be described beyond simply being a dessert or refresher; it is a spoon of history and tradition from Spain. This drink is yummy when taken cold or frozen making it suitable to accompany a hot sunny day or after a meal. No doubt, it can be prepared for a large range from mild to extreme and accommodate many types of diet culture or taste buds. Therefore the next time you are in the mood for a drink that is light refreshing and bursting with taste, then Leche Merngada ought to be the drink for you. This is going to be a sure winner in your home.