Condensed milk

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Condensed milk is cow's milk from which water has been removed and to which sugar has been added, yielding a very thick, sweet product that can last on the shelf for years. Also known as sweetened condensed milk, the two terms have become synonymous; though there have been unsweetened condensed milk products, today these are uncommon. Condensed milk is used in numerous dessert dishes in the United States and other countries.

A related product is evaporated milk, which has undergone a more complex process and which is not sweetened.

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Background

Condensed milk was developed in 1856 by Gail Borden, Jr. in reaction to difficulties in storing milk for more than a few hours. Prior to his development, milk could only be kept fresh for a few days and so was only available in the immediate vicinity of a cow. While returning from a trip to England in 1851, Borden was devastated by the death of several children, apparently due to poor milk from shipboard cows. With less than a year of schooling and following in a wake of failures both of his own and others, Borden was inspired by the vacuum pan he had seen used by Shakers to condense fruit juice and was at last able to reduce milk without scorching or curdling it. Even then, his first two factories failed and only the third, in Wassaic, New York, produced a usable milk derivative; long lasting without refrigeration.

Probably of equal importance for the future of milk, was Borden's requirements for farmers who wanted to sell him raw milk: They were required to wash udders before milking, keep barns swept clean, and scald and dry their strainers morning and night. By 1858 Borden's milk, sold as Eagle Brand, had gained a reputation for purity, durability and economy. The federal government of the United States ordered huge amounts of it as a field ration during the American Civil War and soldiers returning home spread the word. By the late 1860s milk was a major industry. Eagle Brand seems to be the oldest food product brand name still in use. This type of condensed milk is used in caramel candies as well as in other desserts and by the Vietnamese to make their unique coffee Cafe Sua Da.

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