The Spanish dessert made by frying a thickened milk batter and coating it with cinnamon sugar is leche frita.
Its name literally means “fried milk.” To make it, milk is cooked with sugar and flour, sometimes with egg yolks, cinnamon sticks, or lemon zest, until it becomes a firm custard-like dough. After chilling, the mixture is cut into pieces, coated in flour and beaten egg, and fried. The finished pieces are glazed or rolled in sugar and cinnamon.
Leche frita is a traditional sweet associated with northern Spain. Several regions claim connections to its invention, but Palencia in Castilla y León is often cited as its likely point of origin. Because the dish was traditionally prepared at home, recipes differ in thickness, shape, flavoring, and coating.
It is easy to confuse leche frita with torrijas, a Spanish bread dessert similar to French toast, or natillas, a spoonable custard. Unlike those sweets, leche frita is defined by turning a milk-based mixture into solid pieces that are then fried.