dulce de leche

noun

dul·​ce de leche ˈdəl-(ˌ)sā-də-ˈle-ˌchā How to pronounce dulce de leche (audio)
ˈdül-
: sweetened caramelized milk that is traditionally made by reducing a mixture of milk and sugar over heat
Pastry chefs are obsessed with dulce de leche, the luscious, milky South American caramel.Food & Wine
… the three distinct textures—cakey brownie, gooey dulce de leche and semi-firm ganache—worked in a tasty little harmony.Gregory Furgala
To make a good dulce de leche—a gradual reduction of milk and sugar and bicarbonate of soda—is a time consuming and laborious process …Joe McNamee
Dulce de leche is a luscious topping made by slowly caramelizing sweetened milk. Many people make it by boiling a can of condensed milk unopened in a pot of simmering water …Stephanie Eddy
often used before another noun
… astonishingly rich dulce de leche cheesecake with spiced caramel popcorn.John Mariani

Examples of dulce de leche in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Get your whole churros with soft-serve and dulce de leche. Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Oct. 2024 The signature Beam nutty grain flavor is present, but it’s softened with layers of milk and dark chocolate, espresso bean, dulce de leche, fig, and a backbone of smoky oak. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 22 Sep. 2024 And who can go wrong with either the chocolate cake served with blackberry ice cream or pineapple upside-down cake partnered with dulce de leche ice cream? Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 19 Sep. 2024 Dulce de Leche Churro (by Claire): Dulce de Leche ice cream swirled with dulce de leche caramel and chunks of churro. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dulce de leche 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from American Spanish, from Spanish dulce "sweet food, dessert" (noun derivative of dulce, adjective, "sweet," going back to Latin dulcis) + de "of, from" (going back to Latin ) + leche "milk," going back to Latin lact-, lac — more at dulcet, de-, galaxy

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dulce de leche was in 1900

Dictionary Entries Near dulce de leche

Cite this Entry

“Dulce de leche.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dulce%20de%20leche. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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