Dessert

Dulce de leche is a type of condensed milk sweet from Argentina and Uruguay. Traditionally, it is made by heating sweetened cow's milk until it caramelizes and achieves a thick consistency, enough to act as a spread, a filling for cakes and pies, or an ice cream topping. The legend says that dulce de leche originated in Buenos Aires in 1829, when a maid of Argentinian leader Juan Manuel de Rosas was preparing la lechada by heating sugar and milk. As she left it on the fire a bit longer than usual, she noticed it had become a dark brown substance, and that's how dulce de leche was born. Other food historians claim it was first created in 1804 by Napoleon's cooks, while others theorize the recipe originated in Indonesia. Either way, it spread through Latin America, and nowadays almost every country in South and Central America has its unique variation. Still, only Argentina and Urugay call it "dulce de leche", and dispute over the exact place of origin. Today, dulce de leche is sometimes flavored with vanilla, lemon, or cinnamon, and is used to flavor candies, cakes, cookies, waffles, and ice creams.

Dulce de leche

Dulce de mam&oacute;n is a flavorful, syrupy-sweet Paraguayan dessert made by boiling papaya in water and sugar. The combination is simmered for at least two hours on low heat until the fruit develops a soft texture. It is recommended to add cloves, orange juice, or lemon zest to the dessert in order to improve the flavors even further.

Dulce de mamón

The traditional Scottish almond-studded fruitcake with sultanas and candied peel, known as Dundee cake originated in the city of Dundee while its name appears to have been first recorded in the late 19th century. Interestingly, the cake is said to be first created by Keiller&rsquo;s, the renowned marmalade makers from Dundee, who apparently found it convenient to bake cakes during the part of the year when they weren't making marmalade, most likely to make use of the spare citrus peel. Until the 1970s, Keiller's were the only commercial bakers in Scotland allowed to make the famous cake, although the recipe was widely copied in other parts of Britain. In fact, bakers further south would often confuse it with other traditional recipes, suggesting it was merely the topping of whole blanched almonds which distinguished Dundee cake from similar British fruitcakes.

Dundee Cake

This rich concoction of butter and dried fruits in a pastry shell originated from the small town of Ecclefechan in the south of Scotland. The filling traditionally consisted of chopped nuts and dried fruits - currants and sultanas, for the most part - mixed with brown sugar and a splash of white vinegar, although today many recipes call for a mixture of fruits, while some even add candied cherries. Ecclefechan butter tarts are the perfect choice for traditional Scottish festivities, especially when served warm, with a dollop of cream infused with whiskey and honey.

Ecclefechan Butter Tart

Eccles cake is a specialty of the eponymous city in the Greater Manchester region. The dish consists of a crispy puff pastry filled with cinnamon, raisins or currants, and brown sugar, the whole concoction glazed with honey to develop its characteristical golden color. These tasty treats were even outlawed in 1653 due to the Puritan belief that they were pagan. Today, Eccles cakes are fully legal, and it is recommended to pair them with a cup of tea or a bowl of hot porridge.

Eccles cake

These elongated pastries with an appealing glaze, a crispy exterior, a soft doughy interior, and a sweet, creamy center originated in France at the turn of the 20th century. Most food historians believe they were invented by Marie-Antoine Car&ecirc;me, a famous French chef. &Eacute;clairs (French for lightning) are believed to have received their name because of how the light would reflect off of them after a coating of confectioner&rsquo;s glaze. The oldest recipe for these tasty treats can be found in the Boston Cooking School Cook Book, published in 1884. Today, &eacute;clairs are becoming increasingly popular in France and throughout the world, and have begun to sport new fillings such as green tea and lemon cream.

Éclair

Hungary

A specialty of Sopron, &eacute;des babos r&eacute;tes or sweet bean strudel is a variety of Hungarian strudel that consists of thin layers of pastry filled with sweet bean paste. The filling is typically prepared with a combination of cooked and pur&eacute;ed white beans, milk, sugar, egg yolks, whipped egg whites, lemon zest, vanilla, and butter or margarine. After it's been spread with butter or margarine and sprinkled with breadcrumbs, the strudel dough is topped with the sweet bean paste before it is rolled into a log and baked. Depending on the recipe, the filling may also contain other ingredients such as apricot jam, toasted semolina flour, or cream. Like other strudel varieties, this sweet delicacy is best enjoyed warm, straight from the oven, and it is usually dusted with vanilla powdered sugar before serving.

Édes babos rétes

The peculiar name of this dish is said to recall the Victorian era Edinburgh which was nicknamed Auld Reekie or Old Smokie because of the coal fires that plagued the city with an intense, dark smog. Often described as a Scottish take on the traditional Eton mess trifle, Edinburgh fog is a decadent dessert made with ratafia biscuits or macaroons, double cream, toasted almonds, and whisky. It was originally conceived to make use of the leftover scones, but most modern recipes use any kind of almond-flavored biscuits, while whisky can be substituted with the Drambuie liqueur.

Edinburgh Fog

China

One of the most famous Chinese desserts is the classic egg tart, a delicious pastry consisting of a flaky outer shell with a creamy, but firm egg custard in the center. The origin of this traditional Chinese dessert is vague. It is believed that it grew out of Chinese contacts with western culinary traditions, but it is also likely that some form of an egg custard existed before the influence of the West. Chinese egg tart variety is believed to be a cross between the classic British egg custard, which is much creamier than the Chinese tart, and the famous Portuguese tarts, known as past&eacute;is de nata, which are especially popular in Macau. Egg tarts first appeared in the Chinese region Guangdong, to eventually be taken to Hong Kong and Singapore where they also became one of the most beloved desserts. The main characteristic of the Chinese variety is the rich cream, which is firm and thick, with a strong and enhanced egg flavor. Both crumbly shortbread pastry (usually made with lard) and the crunchy puff pastry can be used as a shell. Occasionally, these tarts are flavored with ginger or green tea, and they should always be served warm, straight out of the oven. Egg tarts are the essential dessert of every dim sum meal, and a sweet delicacy commonly served in the Cantonese Asian restaurants. These tiny treats can also be found in traditional Chinese bakeries and coffee houses throughout the world.

Egg tart

Egg waffle is a popular Hong Kong delicacy consisting of egg whites and yolks, milk, butter, sugar, flour, and salt. It is characterized by its puffy visual appearance and a pull-apart texture. These tiny treats are traditionally sold throughout Hong Kong by street vendors who prepare them in special pans with small, round cells. Egg waffles can be consumed plain or paired with fruit and different spreads.

Egg waffle

Germany

This specialty dessert from Saxony is a sheet cake consisting of three individual layers. Yeast dough is commonly used for the base layer, but a thin sponge cake or a pie crust can be used instead. The middle layer consists of a type of custard which contains quark in addition to butter, milk, eggs, and sugar. The top layer consists of another type of custard which is mixed with vanilla pudding. After these three layers have been assembled, the cake is baked and then cut into rectangular pieces. Eierschecke is traditionally served with a hot cup of coffee and is therefore easily found in most German coffeehouses.

Eierschecke

Made with a special kind of dehydrated bread soaked in sugar syrup, the delicious ekmek kadayıfı is traditionally prepared during Turkish religious celebrations such as Şeker Bayramı (lit. festival of sweets), which marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. This simple, yet bountiful dessert is topped with a dollop of thick Turkish clotted cream called kaymak, and it is served sprinkled with either roughly crushed pistachios or walnuts. For those who like their desserts to be a little lower on the sweet scale, the sugar syrup can be flavored with lemon juice, which adds a nice hint of fresh tartness to this heavily sweetened bread pudding. It is believed that ekmek kadayıfı originated in Afyonkarahisar, but today this popular Turkish dessert can be enjoyed in restaurants and patisseries across the country.

Ekmek kadayıfı

Before the American Revolution, this dense, sour-leavened fruit and spice cake was called muster cake, as it was traditionally baked by colonial women for men who were mustered, meaning summoned for military training by order of British troops. Originally, the cake was filled with butter and eggs, sweetened with unrefined cane sugar or molasses, spiked with brandy and wine, flavored with allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coriander, and lastly - studded with dried fruit like raisins, currants, prunes, or whatever was readily available. Later on, according to the Yankee Magazine Cookbook, the cake became a popular dessert &ldquo;served either at the church supper preceding the town meeting or sold outside the polling place, like a one-cake bake sale, to help sustain voters&rdquo;&mdash;after which it was aptly renamed to election cake.

Election Cake

Empire biscuit is a traditional treat consisting of two shortbread-style biscuits sandwiched together with a layer of raspberry jam. The top biscuit is coated with a smooth layer of white icing and typically decorated with a small piece of candied cherry or a jelly sweet. The combination of buttery, crumbly shortbread, sweet jam, and sugary icing makes Empire biscuits a popular bakery item, often enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee. Originally known as the "Linzer biscuit" or "Deutsch biscuit," the treat was renamed "Empire biscuit" around the time of World War I, reflecting the patriotic sentiment of the era and the British Empire's influence. This renaming was part of a broader trend during the war where many items with German-sounding names were rebranded to sound more British.

Empire biscuit

These delicious thumbprint cookies are an absolute must for Christmas in Germany. They are traditionally made with a simple shortcrust base that is filled with red currant jam. Interestingly, in some parts of Germany, engelsaugen (angel eyes) are called husarenkrapfen, which translates as Hussars' donuts.

Engelsaugen

Enyucado is a savory-sweet dish originating from the Colombian coast. Although there are many versions of this dish, it is usually prepared with a combination of yuca, sugar, shredded or crumbled cheese, grated coconut, butter, and anise seeds. After the cake has been baked, it is typically cut into squares, then served at room temperature or warm. Enyucado can be consumed as an afternoon snack with coffee on the side, but it is also often served as a side dish accompanying meat.

Enyucado

Philippines

Espasol is a soft, chewy Filipino rice cake prepared with a combination of toasted glutinous rice flour and grated green coconut that is slowly cooked in coconut milk. The mixture turns into soft, pliable dough that is shaped into long cylinders or triangles before each cake is coated in rice flour. Espasol is associated with the Laguna region, where it is a hailed as a local specialty that is usually bought at various restaurants, stores, and street stalls.

Espasol

Espumilla is a light and fluffy meringue dessert that is especially popular in Ecuador, although it can also be found in Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Guatemala. It typically consists of egg whites, sugar, water, and pur&eacute;ed fruit. Guava is the most common fruit option, but other fruits can also be used, such as lemon, banana, mango, raspberry, and blackberry. Once prepared, espumilla is traditionally served in ice cream cones and topped with sprinkles, shredded coconut, or blackberry syrup called arrope de mora. In Ecuador, espumillas are usually sold by street vendors, although this refreshing dessert might also be made at home.

Espumilla

Italy

Esse di Raveo are traditional Italian cookies hailing from the Carnian town of Raveo. They're made with a combination of butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. The cookie dough is shaped in the form of S letters, and it's then baked until golden brown. These cookies are easy to prepare and they keep well if kept in an airtight tin.

Esse di Raveo

Indonesia

Es teler is a refreshing combination that usually consists of jackfruit, avocado, coconut, condensed milk, syrup, and shaved or crushed ice, but the variations may include other ingredients such as flavored jelly and different types of fruit. This dessert, which is often classified as a drink, is mostly associated with Java, and it's believed that it originated sometime in the 1960s. Es teler is served in bowls, and since the fruit is either diced or sliced, the dessert is usually enjoyed with a spoon.