Arequipa is one of the names of the product also known as dulce de leche, cajeta, manjar or arequipe.
Arequipa is a Peruvian city that functions as the capital of a province and a department that have the same name. The term can not only be used as a proper noun to refer to said administrative entities of Peru : it is also used as a common name to refer to a certain sweet preparation .
According to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), arequipa can be used as a synonym for dulce de leche . This meaning is typical of the Mexican territory. Dulce de leche or arequipa is also known, depending on the region, as arequipe , cajeta or manjar , although in some cases mention is made of slightly different products.
What is dulce de leche
At a general level, dulce de leche or arequipa is obtained by cooking milk with sugar and vanilla essence . The combination of mixing ingredients and cooking generates what is known as browning , a process through which a food acquires a brown hue due to the development of certain chemical reactions.
In this specific case, the browning is classified as non-enzymatic because the coloring is achieved without the intervention of enzymes . The browning of the arequipa is associated with the caramelization of sucrose and the so-called Maillard reaction .
The basic preparation of the arequipa is simple. The milk must be heated with the sugar and vanilla, stirring constantly, preventing it from reaching a boil and ensuring that lumps do not form. Sometimes baking soda is added so that caramelization is achieved faster.
Uses of the arequipa
Arequipa can be consumed in multiple ways. It is often spread on cookies or bread for breakfast or snack.
Arequipa is used to fill cakes, pastries, invoices, alfajores, pancakes and waffles . Other possibilities are candy making and ice cream production.
It is important to mention that, in addition to the traditional dulce de leche, there is a variant mentioned as pastry dulce de leche (more consistent). Therefore, depending on the recipe to be developed, the pastry version may be preferred.
The city of Arequipa is the second most populated in the Republic of Peru.
Administrative divisions of the Republic of Peru
We said that Arequipa is the name of a department, a province and a city in Peru . Located in the southern part of the territory of said nation , the department of Arequipa has an area of 63,345 square kilometers and almost one and a half million inhabitants.
The department , which is divided into eight provinces, has a coastal strip of more than 528 kilometers in the Pacific Ocean and is home to several mountain ranges. The Misti , Pichu Pichu and Chachani volcanoes are located in this area.
Among the eight provinces of the department of Arequipa , the most populated is the one with the same name. This province , in turn, is divided into 29 districts.
Arequipa, the city of Vargas Llosa
The city of Arequipa is the second most populated city in Peru , only surpassed by Lima . It was founded in 1540 and its historic center is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site .
One of the most important writers of our language was born in Arequipa : Mario Vargas Llosa , winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010 . The author, in any case, barely lived in this place for a year.