Spain consumes more UHT milk than any other European country

Spain consumes more UHT milk than any other European country. Hot weather is one of the main reasons, but it’s also favoured because of convenience – you can buy a large slab of cartons and keep it for ages.

UHT stands for “ultra-high temperature”, and it’s no exaggeration – UHT milk is briefly heated to 135 degrees Celsius to kill all bacteria, before being packed in sterile Tetrapak cartons to avoid light. The milk can last for several months after being prepared this way.

Fresh milk is increasingly available, though, and nowadays it doesn’t go off almost as soon as you’ve paid for it like it usually did in the past.  

The main difference is flavour. There’s no doubt that fresh milk is tastier and creamier than UHT, but some claim that UHT also has a “cooked” flavour and a slightly unpleasant aftertaste.

The good news is that you eventually get used to UHT milk. The bad news is that, once you go back to fresh milk for a while, you’ll have to get used to UHT all over again.  Milk is available “Entero” (full cream), “Semi-desnatada” (semi-skimmed) and “Desnatada” (Skimmed).  Spain also offers a wide range of plant-based milks.