Obleas with Cajeta (Wafers with Goat's Milk Caramel)

History & Origin

Obleas con cajeta are one of the most emblematic sweets of Guanajuato and all of Mexico. The obleas (wafers) have their origin in the ecclesiastical hosts brought by the Spanish during the colonial era, whilst cajeta is a purely Mexican product developed in the city of Celaya, Guanajuato, from goat's milk caramelised with sugar. The history of cajeta dates to the 17th century, when nuns in Guanajuato's convents began experimenting with milk from the goats that thrived in the Bajío region. The process of cooking the milk with sugar for hours until it yielded a thick, golden sweet was perfected in Celaya, which earned the title of 'Capital of Cajeta'. The combination of wafers with cajeta arose as a practical and elegant way to eat this sweet without getting one's hands sticky. The wafers are made from a very thin batter of flour and water, cooked between two hot plates until crisp. Cajeta sellers in the markets offer freshly made wafers with cajeta in different flavours: plain, burnt, with pecans or with vanilla. Today obleas con cajeta are an iconic sweet given as a souvenir from Guanajuato.