What Dominican dessert is made by simmering milk with sugar, cinnamon, and sweet potatoes?

Dominican dulce de batata is a sweet-potato dessert made by simmering the tuber with sugar and aromatic ingredients.

Batata is the Spanish word commonly used in the Dominican Republic for sweet potato. In dulce de batata, cooked sweet potato is combined with sugar and may be flavored with cinnamon, cloves, coconut milk, or other regional ingredients. The mixture is reduced until thick and served as a sweet preserve or pudding-like dessert.

The dish belongs to a broad Caribbean tradition of turning tropical roots into sweets. Its texture can range from soft and spoonable to firm enough to slice, depending on the recipe and cooking time. Home recipes differ, so the exact spice and dairy ingredients are not universal.

Dulce de batata should not be confused with habichuelas con dulce, another famous Dominican dessert made from sweet beans and usually served around Easter. Majarete is instead a corn-based pudding, often flavored with coconut and cinnamon.