Aside from its role in a tres leches cake or pumpkin pie, sweetened condensed milk isn’t something most people think of as an everyday condiment. Yet in many parts of the developing world it appears everywhere—from coffee and tea to snacks and desserts—and its intense sweetness can be a welcome contrast to a simple diet of rice or noodles with sauce.
On a recent trip to Thailand I encountered sweetened condensed milk in the country’s most popular street snack: roti, a fried flatbread descended from the Indian chapatti. The Thai version is often filled with sliced bananas, drizzled with chocolate sauce and condensed milk, and finished with a sprinkle of granulated sugar.
Like many Thai sweet or spicy dishes, roti can seem boldly flavored at first. But after a few tastes it becomes familiar, and you may find yourself looking out for the stalls where steam rises behind stacked cans of condensed milk. If you indulge, there’s little need to worry about the sugar rush—Bangkok’s dental care is widely regarded as excellent.
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