Mamallena, a tasty and economical candy

When it comes to popular sweets in Panama, among those obtained from bakers, in addition to stars, chola cheeks and quekis, there is mamallena, a sweet made from old bread from the previous days.

This traditional and typical sweet from Panama is prepared with milk, eggs, cinnamon and raisins and leftover bread, although there are those who also use fresh bread to prepare this dessert.

According to Recetas Panamá (https://www.recetaspanama.com/), mamallena is an easy sweet to make and perfect for when you’re in the mood. sweet.

He Chef Alfredo Villalba, of Mexican origin, commented that in his country this candy is known as bread puddingagrees that it is easy to prepare, additionally, it is delicious and very economicalsince you can use old bread that is often lost at home.

He noted that this dessert is an excellent option for serving special occasions and gives a special touch to the table Christmas or from New Yearalthough in Panama it is usually consumed on every occasion.

Villalba explained that the preparation of the pudding is very versatileyou can enrich it with other elements such as dried fruit, walnuts and blueberries, and you can also serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

As for the type of bread used to make it mamallenain Mexico A hard bolillo (similar to michita bread) is usually used, but this is not strictly enforced, since the idea is to use the hard bread you have at home.

In this sense, the chef stressed that any type of bread can be used and called to pay close attention to the amount of milk that will be needed, which will depend on bread texture and how much liquid the crumb can absorb.