crema

noun

ˈkre-mə 

plural cremas

1

: cream or a preparation made with or resembling cream used in cooking : crème: such as

a

: any of various custards prepared as a dish, sauce, or filling

… a trio of Mediterranean desserts, including a Catalan-inspired, lavender crema presented in an edible almond ramekin.

—Julia Zaltzman

b

: heavy cream thickened and slightly soured usually with buttermilk and often served with spicy foods

Serve the flautas with the crema.

—Zanne Early Zakroff

Crema can be used to thicken or enrich a dish, but it is broadly thought of as a condiment.

—Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman

Pour in the Mexican crema, stirring to make sure it coats all of the vegetables, and gently simmer for about 2 minutes.

—Mely Martínez

2

: a layer of golden-brown froth that forms on the top of freshly made espresso

To get the best aroma, flavor and crema, I needed fresh beans from great roasters.

—Jeremy Repanich

What the head is to the beer lover, the foam called crema is to the espresso aficionado. … The crema is produced as the water is pushed through and past the close-packed grains of coffee, although how that happens is not fully understood.

—Sidney Perkowitz

Examples of crema in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

They’re served in a warm, flavorful broth made from turkey, mirepoix, and a variety of aromatics, and then topped with thinly sliced cabbage, citrus crema, salsa verde, and avocado. —Amber Love Bond, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

The rich ahi was balanced by a dash of sour cream and guacamole crema and a sprinkle of sesame seeds added another layer of flavor and texture to the vinegary, crunchy delight. —Felicia Campbell, The Arizona Republic, 4 Nov. 2024

Topped with perfectly crisp iceberg lettuce and watermelon radishes, the tostada almost felt refreshing in contrast to the warm, richly spiced pibil hidden underneath on a bed of crema. —Meira Gebel, Axios, 15 Oct. 2024

The still setting produces a thin tan cap on top of the coffee that sort of resembles crema on espresso. —Noah Kaufman, Bon Appétit, 25 Sep. 2024

End with a dessert like sweet corn crema Catalana with orange, peach, honey, fig and burnt meringue. —Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 13 Nov. 2024

The unique system applies 19 bars of pressure to create coffee and espresso topped with crema in a range of 6 different beverage sizes. —Adam Mansuroglu, WWD, 1 Nov. 2024

The Taco de Pollo, a chicken taco, is topped with a heavy ladle of cilantro-lime crema, pico de gallo and sharp cotija crumbles. —Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024

To finish, look for chamomile tres leches cake, a panna cotta take on fresas en crema, mangonadas and more. —Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

(sense 1) borrowed from Spanish, "cream," borrowed from French crème, going back to Old French craime; (sense 2) borrowed from Italian, "cream," borrowed from French crème — more at cream entry 1

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined at sense 2