Dulce de Lechosa

Venezuela's Christmas sweet: strips of green papaya cooked slowly in dark papelón syrup with cloves until they are the colour of old varnish

Origin: Caracas & Venezuela

From the journey of Papaya.

The Venezuelan Christmas table is a fixed thing. Hallacas, pan de jamón, ensalada de gallina, and then, to finish, dulce de lechosa: strips of green papaya that have been cooked for hours in papelón, the dark unrefined cane sugar sold in loaves, until they are deep brown, glossy, and chewy at the edge. It is eaten all year in principle and made in December in practice, and a household that does not make it will be given a jar by one that has. The technique came from Spain and the fruit did not. Candying in syrup was the European way of holding fruit through a winter, and in the tropics the same method met a fruit that fruits continuously; what began as preservation became a festival sweet. The preparation is unhurried by design. The papaya is peeled, seeded, and cut into long strips, scored so the syrup can get in, then soaked in alkaline water to firm it, sometimes for a day with the water changed, before it goes into the pan with cloves and cinnamon. The regional variations are the argument every December. The Andes add star anise and cook the syrup paler; the east puts in cinnamon and sometimes grated coconut; Caracas holds that anything beyond papelón and cloves is interference. Fig leaves go in wherever a fig tree grows nearby.

Ingredients

Papaya

2 kg green (unripe) papaya, peeled and seeded
3 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
3 l cold water

Syrup

600 g papelón or panela, grated or broken up
250 g granulated sugar
1.2 l water
15 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
4 fig leaves, if you have them

Method

Cut the papaya lengthwise into strips about 1 cm thick and 10 cm long, and score each strip lightly along its length with a fork.
Soak the strips overnight in the cold water with the bicarbonate of soda dissolved in it. Drain, then rinse under running water for several minutes.
Bring the papelón, sugar, water, cloves, cinnamon, and fig leaves to a simmer in a wide heavy pan, stirring until everything has dissolved.
Add the papaya strips and cook uncovered over a low heat for two to two and a half hours, until they are dark, translucent, and the syrup has reduced to a thick pouring consistency.
Cool completely in the syrup, then bottle in sterilised jars or chill.
Serve cold, a few strips to a plate, with a spoonful of the syrup poured over.

Notes

Papelón is sold as panela, piloncillo, or jaggery; the darker the loaf, the better the colour and the deeper the flavour. For the Andean version, replace the cinnamon with two star anise and cut the papelón back to 400 g.

The Gastrographer

Name: Dulce de Lechosa
Prep time: 12 h
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 14 h 30 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Caracas & Venezuela
Ingredients: 2 kg green (unripe) papaya, peeled and seeded; 3 tbsp bicarbonate of soda; 3 l cold water; 600 g papelón or panela, grated or broken up; 250 g granulated sugar; 1.2 l water; 15 whole cloves; 2 cinnamon sticks; 4 fig leaves, if you have them

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control