Caramel is a medium to dark-orange confectionary product made by heating a variety of sugars. Sometimes ice-creams are flavoured with or contain swirls of caramel. And when combined with cream produce caramel sauce. A favourite french dessert is creme caramel otherwise known as flan or caramel custard. Hard caramels known as brittles are flat broken pieces of caramel embedded with nuts such as peanuts, pecans or almonds. Three compounds are commonly formed ; carmelan, caramelan and caramelin. Sugar removal leading to isomerization and polymerisation of the sugars into various high-molecular-weight compounds is the basis of the caramelisation process.
A certain retailer sells a selection of caramel doughnuts and a caramel milkshake. Caramel desserts are always very popular and include crème brulee, caramel apples and crème caramel. Sugar, cream, butter and other ingredients such as liquors, vanilla or fruit puree can be used to make caramel sauce. Kora-monallah; “ball of sweet” in Arabic is often referred to as caramel. Caramel sauce is used especially as a topping for ice cream. The English word caramel is borrowed from Spanish “caramelo”, itself possibly from Portuguese caramel. Caramel can be used as a filling for bonbons or a flavouring for puddings and desserts. Finally, French pastry chef, Henri Le Rous invented salted caramel in 1977.