arequipa

Arequipa is a town peruvian which functions as the capital of a Province and of a Department bearing the same denomination. The term can not only be used as a proper noun to refer to said administrative entities of the Peru: also used as a common name to refer to a some sweet preparation.

According to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), arequipa can be used as a synonym for caramel sauce. This meaning is typical of the Mexican territory. Dulce de leche or arequipa is also known, depending on the region, as arequipe, cajeta or delicacy, although in some cases mention is made of slightly different products.

Arequipa is one of the denominations of the product also known as dulce de leche, cajeta, delicacy or arequipe.

What is "dulce de leche

At a general level, dulce de leche or arequipa is obtained by cooking milk with sugar and vanilla essence. The combination of the mixture of ingredients and the cooking generates what is indicated as browning, a process through which a food acquires a brown hue due to the development of certain chemical reactions.

In this specific case, the browning is qualified as non-enzymatic because the coloring is achieved without the intervention of enzymes. Arequipa browning is associated with caramelization of sucrose already call Maillard reaction.

The basic preparation of the arequipa is simple. The milk should be heated with the sugar and the vanilla, stirring constantly, avoiding boiling and making sure that no lumps form. Sometimes it is added sodium bicarbonate so that caramelization is achieved faster.

Uses of arequipa

Arequipa can be consumed in multiple ways. Many times it is smeared on biscuits or bread for breakfast or snack.

With arequipa they are filled cakes, pastries, bills, alfajores, pancakes and waffles. Other possibilities are the elaboration of candies and the production of ice creams.

It is important to mention that, in addition to the traditional dulce de leche, there is a variant mentioned as sweet milk pastry (more consistent). Therefore, according to recipe to be developed, the pastry version may be privileged.

The city of Arequipa is the second most populated in the Republic of Peru.

Administrative divisions of the Republic of Peru

We said that Arequipa is the name of a department, a province and a city of Peru. Located in the southern area of ​​the territory of said nation, the department of Arequipa has an area of 63,345 square kilometers and almost a million and a half inhabitants.

The Department, which is divided into eight provinces, has a coastal strip of more than 528 kilometers at Pacific Ocean and it houses several mountain ranges. The volcanoes Misti, Pichu Pichu and Chachani are located in this area.

Among the eight provinces of the department of Arequipa, the most populated is the one with the same name. Bliss Province, in turn, is divided into 29 districts.

Arequipa, the city of Vargas Llosa

The city of Arequipa It is the second with the largest population in Peru, only surpassed by lime. It was founded in 1540 and its historic center is part of the World Heritage of the UNESCO.

On Arequipa one of the most important writers of our tongue: Mario Vargas Llosa, winner of Nobel Prize in Literature on 2010. The author, however, barely lived a year in this place.