# Alfajor



## María Gabriela

¿Es cierto que no existen los alfajores en América del Norte ni Europa (y supongo que menos en Africa o Asia) ?¿Tendrán equivalente en inglés?


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## manuycacu

Hasta donde yo se, no existen ni los alfajores en si ni el equivalente a la palabra. En algun momento lo vi en algun lado y lo habian dejado igual, "alfajor", con una breve explicacion en ingles, algo tipo "two biscuists filled with caramel (aunque hay quienes traducen dulce de leche por milk jam...) and covered with chocolate". Si no, habria que fijarse en algun alfajor que se exporte a otros paises a ver que dice en el paquete. A veces no hay nada mas efectivo que un tour por el supermercado, quiosco o negocio en cuestion!


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## Phryne

María Gabriela said:
			
		

> ¿Es cierto que no existen los alfajores en América del Norte ni Europa (y supongo que menos en Africa o Asia) ?¿Tendrán equivalente en inglés?



Hola Ma. Gabriela, 

Es un horror que no existan.  Hay equivalentes como galletitas rellenas cubiertas con chocolate, pero vos y yo sabemos que no es lo mismo. 

En EEUU, hay unas cosas llamadas ring dings que son como tortitas de chocolate con "marshmallows" adentro y cubeirtas con chocolate. 

Mirá acá. ring_dings

saludos 



			
				manuycacu said:
			
		

> Hasta donde yo se, no existen ni los alfajores en si ni el equivalente a la palabra. En algun momento lo vi en algun lado y lo habian dejado igual, "alfajor", con una breve explicacion en ingles, algo tipo "two biscuists filled with caramel (aunque hay quienes traducen dulce de leche por milk jam...) and covered with chocolate". Si no, habria que fijarse en algun alfajor que se exporte a otros paises a ver que dice en el paquete. A veces no hay nada mas efectivo que un tour por el supermercado, quiosco o negocio en cuestion!



No existen, punto. Los que son "exportados" son consumidos por argentinos y se consiguen en supermercados "latinos". El dulce de leche sí se encuentra en supermercados "gourmet" y se vende como vos decís (milk caramel o milk jam). Ahora, respecto a los alfajores no sé a ciencia cierta porque hasta donde tengo entendido, se venden (exportados) en dos lugares que me quedan muy lejos. Considerando el magro mercado que tienen, muy posiblemente no vengan traducidos sino "etiquetados" con los valores nutricionales y nada más.

saludos


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## fprtvn

Si existe! Se les llama "Shortcake". Además la palabra alfajor tiene origen árabe derivado de "alajú"


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## riglos

Que yo sepa las "shortcakes" no son lo mismo que los alfajores. Las shortcakes son más como un postre.

Mara.-


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## eyrla

hola a todos!!
tengo una duda que es exactamente un alfajor argentino?
es una tontería pero me dijeron que era un dulce y que en inglés tiene una palabra esplicita para hacer referencia a él.

gracias


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## JaimeUy

Hace muchos años, se hacia con una masa especial de harina de maíz y manteca. Son dos especies de galletas redondas y abultadas en el centro. Se pegan por el lado plano con dulce de leche (llamado en otros lugares cajeta, arequipe, manjar blanco, etc.) y se solías pasar rodando por coco rallado que quedaba pegado en los bordes. Como el dulce es pegajoso, esa doble tapa lo hace higiénico, uno toca la masa. Hacia mediados de siglo, en Uruguay se comenzó a vender industrialmente envasado. Ahí ya se usaba cualquier tipo de masa que pudiera durar varios días y se solía bañar de merengue o chocolate. Hoy, hay mil tipos y la competencia está imponiendo uno “triple”, etc.


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## jgbrl

Hola..quizas esto ayude:
lo obtuve por referencia de una amiga q esta en los USA


Alfajores (Caramel Sandwich Cookies)

Saludos...!!


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## 0scar

Estuve viendo las fotos en Google
Los _shortcakes_ no son alafajores, son mucho más elaborados, son postres de crema y pequeñas torta de crema.

Los _sandwich cookies_ no son alfajores salvo algunos que se parecen a los alfajores de maizena. En general son galletitas rellenas y obleas rellenas.

Foto de sandwich cookies=galletitas rellenas (en este caso parecen Oreos)
http://www.caramel.com/EditorUpload/Image/Sandwich_cookies.jpe


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## nola81

En España los alfajores son un dulce mucho menos dulce que los argentinos.Están hechos de almendra, son alargados y pequeñitos y típicos de Navidad. Deben de ser de origen árabe por el nombre.

Un saludo


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## LoveFifteen

Alfajores are not shortcakes. Sorry.


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## CLAUDIA ANGULO

How Can I Translate alfajor to English?


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## Juan Alek

No tiene traducción, se usa usualmente la misma palabra.


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## k-in-sc

Nueva pregunta: Hilo separado de aquí.

Does "alfajor" have anything to do with "alforjas"? Just wondering


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## kreiner

k-in-sc said:


> Does "alfajor" have anything to do with "alforjas"? Just wondering


 
No. But both words come from Arabic.


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## reanju

k-in-sc said:


> Does "alfajor" have anything to do with "alforjas"? Just wondering


Nothing to do. Alfajor is a kind of sweet cake made with almonds.


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## k-in-sc

reanju said:


> Nothing to do. Alfajor is a kind of sweet cake made with almonds.


I was thinking of the _alfajores rioplatenses_. You have to admit that structurally they're kind of like saddlebags:
http://www.google.com/search?q=alfa...0NtO3twfx9eDkDQ&ved=0CDsQsAQ&biw=1256&bih=818


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## reanju

k-in-sc said:


> I was thinking of the _alfajores rioplatenses_. You have to admit that structurally they're kind of like saddlebags:
> http://www.google.com/search?q=alfa...0NtO3twfx9eDkDQ&ved=0CDsQsAQ&biw=1256&bih=818


Bueno, a estas horas a mí me parecen hamburguesas más bien. Pero que conste que están riquísimos.


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## kreiner

Por lo demás, alfajor y alforja tienen etimologías distintas.


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## Moritzchen

kreiner said:


> Por lo demás, alfajor y alforja tienen etimologías distintas.


Bueno, por lo menos son ambas de origen árabe.


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## kreiner

Moritzchen said:


> Bueno, por lo menos son ambas de orígen árabe.


 
Como alcalde, pero a ver quién es el guapo que le hinca el diente .


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## Moritzchen

kreiner said:


> Como alcalde, pero a ver quién es el guapo que le hinca el diente .


 Noooo! Después terminas con tu cabeza en una alforja y un alfajor en la boca!!!


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## lloyds

Hola gente!! Me preguntan còmo se dice "alfajor" en inglès, o sea que no hay contexto.  El alfajor, para los English speakers, es una golosina, un dulce, hecho con masa y en el medio suele tener dulce de leche y puede estar bañado en chocolate.  Habrà alguna palabra equivalente?
Thanks!!


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## Moritzchen

Estás describiendo el aljafor del Río de la Plata. En México por ejemplo es una barra de coco rallado y leche.


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## lloyds

claro, asique no sè si habrà una palabra.  En Mèxico le llaman alfajor a eso?


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## Moritzchen

A eso?
Sí.
También hay diferencias con el alfajor peruano y el de España por ejemplo. No hay una palabra en inglés para describirlo. Si me viera en aprietos tal vez los describiría (a los Havanna por ejemplo) como "small cakes", y a los mexicanos como "confection".


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## lloyds

Don`t take me wrong when I say "a eso", it`s just a way to say it quickly, but no judgement.  Plus, all these things are delicious, I wish I could despise any of them in order to keep slim..........


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## Moritzchen

Nothing like a good Havanna de dulce de leche...


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## lloyds

Absolutely!!


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## sergio11

Would you say the "Moon Pies" sold in America are somewhat equivalent to the "alfajores"?  I know they are not the same thing, the cookies are different and the filling is different, but the concept is the same, and is the closest I have seen so far.


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## k-in-sc

Moon Pies are a lot bigger, though. Plus they are revolting 
There are a lot of (chocolate-coated) sandwich cookies that are more worthy of comparisons with alfajores.


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## sergio11

En Estados Unidos se vende algo que se llama Moon Pie, que aunque no es exactamente lo mismo, es bastante parecido.


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## Ariela.Danielle

reanju said:


> Nothing to do. Alfajor is a kind of sweet cake made with almonds.


 
The alfajors I have eaten were definetly not made with almonds. And the ones I have made weren't either.

Sounds delicious though.


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## Ariela.Danielle

CLAUDIA ANGULO said:


> How Can I Translate alfajor to English?


 
I would just use alfajor. And if you feel the need to explain in parenthesis, I would say that would be better than trying to find an equivalent.


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## sergio11

k-in-sc said:


> Moon Pies are a lot bigger, though. Plus they are revolting
> There are a lot of (chocolate-coated) sandwich cookies that are more worthy of comparisons with alfajores.


True, they are almost double in size and not as easy to eat; although if you eat only a small piece, they may be tolerable.  

When I have to explain the alfajor to someone, I say it is a sandwich with two soft cookies with caramel in the middle


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## k-in-sc

Yes, how many times have I seen "dulce de leche" translated as "milk jam"  when it's really just caramel ...


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## HallePuppy

Could they be thinking of "shortbread" instead of "shortcake"?  Strawberry shortcake is a classic dessert with us, and is a fluffy yellow cake (not a cookie) or sometimes a Southern-style biscuit (again, not a cookie, as in England) topped with sliced, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Shortbread, however, is a cookie made with flour, sugar, and lots of shortening/butter. I've never heard of sticking two shortbread cookies together with caramel, but it could be done! Sounds good.


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## HallePuppy

Moon pies may be a taste acquired in early childhood. I remember eating them and thinking they were wonderful.  To each his own!  But then I don't eat candy with chile, while the Mexican children here delight in it.

Thank you for telling us about alfajores. Learn a little something new every day!


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## reanju

Ariela.Danielle said:


> The alfajors I have eaten were definetly not made with almonds. And the ones I have made weren't either.
> 
> Sounds delicious though.



Those "alfajores" are typical of some South regions in Spain. I didn't know either that there were other varieties in America.


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## k-in-sc

The alfajor is the national cookie of Argentina and Uruguay.


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## 0scar

sergio11 said:


> When I have to explain the alfajor to someone, I say it is a sandwich with two soft cookies with caramel in the middle


 
Un "sánguche" redondo, *bañado en chocolate,* y con relleno de dulce de leche.

Pero faltan definir los otros, los alfajores regionales:
Un "sánguche"  redondo,  con cobertura blanca, relleno de mermelada.


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## lloyds

So, maybe we should make up a word for "alfajor", like "choccake", or stuffed cake. Do you have a word for "aperitivo"? or "picada"? because these two stand for a little amount of food that you have before dinner or lunch, just to enjoy yourself a little more.  So maybe that, but turned to sweet food, should be the word for "alfajor" .  In Spanish there is the word "bocado" which sometimes stands for a portion of food, and "bocadito" when it is really small, just to taste it.  So, if you had something equal to "bocadito", then it could be named "sweet bocadito", yes?


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## Moritzchen

An alfajor is not a bocadito! How many calories does it pack? 
Aperitivo es aperitif, the Argentinean picada is a snack.


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## Quiviscumque

En mi opinión, traducir los nombres de platos y guisos suele ser misión imposible. Si alguien quiere hacerlo, tendrá que recurrir a una paráfrasis. Por cierto, ¿cómo es que en este dulce hilo no han aparecido aún los académicos?

DRAE:

*alfajor*.
(Del ár. hisp. fašúr, este del persa afšor, jugo, y este del pelvi afšurdan, exprimir).
1. m. alajú.
2. m. Rosquilla de alajú.
3. m. Am. Mer. Golosina compuesta por dos rodajas delgadas de masa adheridas una a otra con dulce y a veces recubierta de chocolate, merengue, etc.
4. m. Hond., Nic. y Ven. Pasta hecha con harina de yuca o de maíz, papelón, piña y jengibre.
5. m. vulg. Arg. facón.
6. m. Méx. Dulce hecho de coco, leche y azúcar.

Como veis, el sentido en España es _alajú_:

*alajú.*
(Del ár. hisp. alḥašú, y este del ár. clás. ḥašw, relleno).
1. m. Pasta de almendras, nueces y, a veces, piñones, pan rallado y tostado, especia fina y miel bien cocida.
2. m. Dulce hecho con esta pasta.


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## HallePuppy

Yes, we academics have appeared.  I already commented about moon pies and shortcake.


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## lloyds

I want to say thank you to all of you, academics or not.  This is pretty much interesting and thus, rewarding!!


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## k-in-sc

Moritzchen said:


> An alfajor is not a bocadito! How many calories does it pack?
> Aperitivo es aperitif, the Argentinean picada is a snack.


Actually, an  "appetizer" is food to whet the appetite, while an "aperitif" is a pre-dinner alcoholic drink. And a "digestif" is a post-dinner drink, such as argentino fave Fernet Branca, that promotes digestion.


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## Moritzchen

Yes I was thinking about aperitif as aperitivo, a drink like vermouth to stimulate the appetite.
Eating an alfajor before dinner would ruin it as I wouldn´t be hungry for some time.
Parece que ya los descubrieron por acá. Una fábrica local presenta esta variedad de _alfajores cookies_
_*Classic Alfajores*, filled with pure caramelly Dulce de Leche and coated with premium dark chocolate_
_*Almond Alfajores*, enhanced with ground roasted almonds and almond extract_
_*Coffee Alfajores*, rich with Ethiopian espresso_
_*Coconut Alfajores*, made even chewier with unsweetened coconut_
_*White Alfajores*, sweetly coated with Callebaut White Chocolate_
_*Strawberry*, adding nice fresh fruit flavor_
_NEW! *Michigan Cherry*: Dulce de Leche & Cherries_
_NEW! *Quince*: Quince and Sugar (no Dulce de Leche)_
_NEW! *Dulce Peanut*: Dulce de Leche & Peanut Butter _


Dulce de leche and peanut butter???!!!


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## k-in-sc

The dulce de leche and peanut butter one would be even better without the dulce de leche


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## HallePuppy

No worse than peanut butter and jelly. I take my peanut butter straight, thank you! ;


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## Pilarcita la linda

The Alfajor from Spain is the most similar to the original Arabic alaju confection and very different to the ones found in Latin America, so depending on the public it is being translated for I would use "alaju" for British English and "caramel filled sandwich cookie" for American English, which of course depends on which recipe it refers to.


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## k-in-sc

I definitely would not translate them, only explain what they are. "Dulce de leche" is not exactly "caramel," either, it's just similar. "Milk caramel" would be more accurate.


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## Pilarcita la linda

K-in-sc although this thread isn't about dulce de leche I just wanted to let you know that here in Colombia we say Arequipe and we have a brand that is exported and it says on the package "caramel spread", but I do agree that some things are better left "untranslated"


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## k-in-sc

What's Arequipe?


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## Moritzchen

k-in-sc said:


> What's Arequipe?


 It's what we know in the US as dulce de leche.


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## Lucialovely

Hola lo único que sé es que en todos los continentes se fabrican o se hacen sus alfajores, la diferencia de cada uno son los ingredientes, ya sea la masa, el relleno, etc, pero son alfajores al fin y al cabo y bueno "caramel" es un término en inglés para llamarlos, ya que no hay una traducción, pues como te dije se diferencian en algo unos de otros. oajalá te sirva


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## palomnik

It's different in different countries. The ones in South America are like "Moon Pies" in the USA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_pie

However, moon pies only come with marshmallow fillings.


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## HallePuppy

In North Carolina, where I'm originally from, the "Moon Pie", sounds fairly close to what you are describing, although it's not identical. As Palomnik says, the fillings are different. However, the two-cookie, chocolate-coated structure is not that far off.


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## Lucialovely

palomnik said:


> It's different in different countries. The ones in South America are like "Moon Pies" in the USA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_pie
> 
> However, moon pies only come with marshmallow fillings.


Hi:thanks for your answering my question. Basically, a caramel in my country is almost the same as in your country, but the only difference it's in some of their ingredients are made, for example:the first kind of caramel it's made with "Chancaca", pieces of walnuts and nutmeg and the other one it's more similar to "Moon Pies" i think, because it's made with manajar, which is very similar to nutella, in addition is made with walnuts and nutmeg as well and you can sprinkle them with glas, both of them are covered side by side with two "hojarascas" or fallen leaves. Well i hope you to understand my poor english, take care byeee


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## Moritzchen

palomnik said:


> It's different in different countries. The ones in South America are like "Moon Pies" in the USA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_pie
> 
> However, moon pies only come with marshmallow fillings.


See this Wikipage on alfajor.


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## HallePuppy

I suppose one might be able to dismantle a Moon Pie and add to or change the filling. Or even make an alfajor from scratch. When one is in a foreign country, an approximation of "home foods" can be a comfort, even if not exact. I speak from experience. My NC family sometimes mail me corn meal properly ground for our cornbread, and also country ham, which does not spoil even in desert heat. For those who long for alfajores in a foreign land, there are several recipes online, many with pictures (I did a Google search). Martha Stewart's version is at http://www.marthastewart.com/318678/alfajores.


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## k-in-sc

Martha Stewart alfajores 
Her recipe doesn't even call for cornstarch ...


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## HallePuppy

Well, there are a bunch of recipes that come up on a Google search. Maybe there's a better one. If anybody sees one that looks authentic, please let us know.


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## k-in-sc

Is there an "authentic" recipe for brownies or apple pie? Alfajores are not a commercial product like Moon Pies or Twinkies, they are a bakery item that is also produced commercially. Plenty of people make them at home, although it is sort of a drawn-out process. I was just surprised that Martha Stewart didn't include cornstarch, which I guess is supposed to give a better texture.


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## HallePuppy

I suppose there might be a range of authenticity. For instance, what are made and sold as "bisquets" here in Mexicali are NOT biscuits!  If I look at them as little cakes, I like them. However, if I think of them as biscuits, they're awful. The thought of putting a piece of country ham inside one makes me shudder!  Still, no two people make biscuits that are exactly the same. Among my family in North Carolina, including me, you can identify who made the biscuits by their size, shape, taste, etc. But they all are easily recognizable as biscuits, and nothing else but biscuits. I suppose the same would be true with alfajors.

Do Martha's fall within that recognizable range? I've never seen an alfajor in person, lol.


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## lefausto

No existen alfajores tampoco dulce de leche indigínas en los EEUU así que usamos las mismas palabras para referir a las dos cosas.  Se puede encontrar ambas pero [por lo general] han hecho por españoles/latinoamericanos o están importadas.  Ya tengo ganas de comerlas ...

LF


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## k-in-sc

lefausto said:


> No existen alfajores tampoco dulce de leche indigínas en los EEUU así que usamos las mismas palabras para referir a las dos cosas.  Se puede encontrar ambas pero [por lo general] han hecho por españoles/latinoamericanos o están importadas.  Ya tengo ganas de comerlas ...


You can make dulce de leche at home too.


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## duvija

k-in-sc said:


> You can make dulce de leche at home too.



Yep, and have the can explote too. (I know what I'm talking about, trust me).


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## k-in-sc

You're not supposed to let the water level fall that much


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## cmn94cba

reanju said:


> Nothing to do. Alfajor is a kind of sweet cake made with almonds.


In south America most of them are not made with almonds.


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