Picarones
Picarones were created in colonial Lima by Afro-Peruvian and Spanish cooks who reworked Spain's wheat-flour buñuelos using ingredients available in the Peruvian viceroyalty — squash and sweet potato in place of scarce wheat, and chancaca syrup in place of honey. The result quickly outgrew its European ancestor, becoming a distinctly Peruvian sweet sold from street carts rather than found in colonial kitchens alone. Vendors have fried picarones to order at Lima's fairs and festivals for generations, stretching the dough into rings by hand over bubbling oil before ladling on the dark, spiced syrup. The ring shape is practical as much as decorative, cooking the dough evenly through without a dense center, and the pairing of pumpkin-sweet dough with molasses-rich chancaca has made picarones one of the most recognizable desserts on Peru's coast.
Made from pumpkin and sweet potato
Squash and sweet potato are boiled and mashed into the dough for natural sweetness
Shaped into rings, not balls
The soft dough is stretched by hand into a doughnut shape before frying
Drenched in chancaca syrup
A spiced syrup made from unrefined cane sugar is poured generously over the fried rings
A street-fair favorite
Sold hot from carts at fairs and festivals across Peru for over a century
Ingredients 4 servings
- 400g pumpkin (calabaza or kabocha), peeled and cubed
- 300g sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 400g all-purpose flour
- 7g instant yeast
- 1 tsp anise seeds
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus a pinch of ground cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 300g chancaca (unrefined cane sugar) or dark brown sugar, plus 1 orange peel and 2 cloves for the syrup
How to make it
- 1Boil the pumpkin and sweet potato cubes in salted water for 15-20 minutes until very tender, then drain well and mash into a smooth puree.
- 2In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, anise seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and salt, then stir in the warm pumpkin and sweet potato puree to form a soft, sticky dough.
- 3Cover the bowl with a cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place for about an hour, until it has visibly puffed up and turned bubbly.
- 4Meanwhile, make the syrup by simmering the chancaca with water, orange peel, and cloves for 15 minutes until it thickens slightly, then keep it warm.
- 5Heat vegetable oil in a deep pot to about 180°C, then wet your hands with water and stretch a small handful of dough into a ring before sliding it carefully into the oil.
- 6Fry the rings in batches for 2-3 minutes per side, turning once, until they puff up and turn a deep golden brown.
- 7Lift the picarones out with a slotted spoon, drain briefly on paper towels, and serve them warm drizzled generously with the chancaca syrup.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
