> New question.  When I brought home the sweetened condensed  cow's milk,
> my husband immediately grabbed it from me.  As a child in Vietnam, he
> lived on this stuff----after weaning from the breast of course.  He warms
> it up then dips bread in it.  He loves the stuff!   He is lactose
> intolerant, but the condensed milk does not bother him.  What is the
> reason for this?  Is condensed milk lacking the lactose?  I am stumped.

Condensed milk is treated at ultra high temperatures (it is almost
caramelised) and I understand that this denatures a lot of the protein,
and probably everything else! I don't know specifically, but maybe the
lactose gets denatured too. Whatever happens, it is (was) considered
suitable for use by babies during gastro and after gastro when the gut was
damaged - which suggests that the lactose is somehow gone. It is
primarily a source of energy, but not nutrition. However, for longer
term use for babies it is atrocious as it is totally dissimilar in
composition to human milk, and lacks iron and the necessary vitamins and
minerals.

I remember sucking this stuff from the tube as a child, but as a rare
treat not a regular foodstuff.  But then we also had bread and dripping
from time to time.  Just as well I was breastfed.