“Thick milk”, an old sweet from Menorca’s rural tradition returns to the Alaior Country Fair

Bep Al·lès/Alaior - Traditional Menorcan gastronomy is full of simple recipes created in farmhouses to make the most of local products. One of these nearly forgotten preparations is “thick milk”, a sweet made from fresh milk that for generations was prepared in many rural kitchens across the island.

Thick milk was essentially a way to use the abundance of milk on an island with a strong livestock tradition. Farming families would simmer milk with sugar over very low heat for hours, stirring constantly until the liquid reduced and developed a thicker texture and a light caramel colour. Some recipes included cinnamon, vanilla or lemon peel, and occasionally a small pinch of bicarbonate to help the mixture thicken.

The result was a sweet cream that could be eaten by the spoonful, spread on bread or used to accompany homemade desserts. Its preparation is reminiscent of dulce de leche, although in Menorca it was mainly a homemade recipe closely linked to everyday rural life.

This weekend the traditional preparation once again attracted the curiosity of visitors. The S’Arangí farm offered thick milk at its stand during the Fira del Camp in Alaior, giving many people the chance to rediscover this old Menorcan sweet. For some visitors it brought back childhood memories, while for others it was a completely new discovery.