[4] In the so-called Catalan Countries, the recipe dates back to the Middle Ages and it is present in cookbooks as old as the Catalan-written Llibre de Sent Soví (1324), one of the oldest in Europe that was not published in Latin.

[2] One of the most famous variations of the menjar blanc in this area is the one from Reus (Catalonia), produced since the 1910s and considered a historical local delicacy based on the almond as its key ingredient.

It refers to a set of similar dishes traditionally made by slowly and gently cooking pure (normally non-homogenized) milk to thicken and reduce the volume, and gradually adding sugar.

[citation needed] In Guatemala, El Salvador, and other countries in Central America manjar de leche is a pudding or custard made with milk, cornstarch (to thicken), sugar, and often other ingredients such as vanilla, cinnamon or other flavorings.

In Costa Rica, the term "natilla" refers to a cultured buttermilk-like product with a butterfat content ranging from 12% ("liviana") to 14%, sold in stores in plastic pouches.

There also exists an indigenized, plant-based adaptation of this dessert called maja blanca which instead uses coconut milk, alongside cornstarch or gulaman (algae-derived thickener) and sugar.