Get to know Limean desserts! The best in the world!

To talk about sweets is to talk about the typical places in Lima where you can eat the most delicious desserts in the whole world...

Today I want to talk to you a little about Peruvian sweets, concentrating more on Limean desserts. Did you know that they call us "limeños mazamorreros"? If you didn't know, I'll tell you that this is because we have a dessert known as the "mazamorra morada" - a milky maize pudding.

1. Limeño Mazamorrero:

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The "mazamorra morada" is a dessert made with purple maize (morada means purple), with which they make the rich corn drink "chicha morada". When I was a child there were no children's parties that offered this dessert for their guests, the Mazamorra with rice pudding is undoubtedly one of the most delicious desserts from my beautiful city of Lima and I invite you to try it at any market stall or luxurious restaurant in the city. Somewhere I recommend where you can go to try this delicious dessert is in the Chabuca Granda Avenue, next to the Government Palace. There you will be able to find different people with wheelbarrows, who are offering delicious stews with a touch of nestle milk that makes you melt to such a sweet Lima flavor.

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Let me tell you something else, these Limean sweets come from the Colonial Era in Peru, as in those times the nuns that were in their cloisters were those who started to experiment with different tastes and textures in a Lima whose addiction to sweets was growing and developing little by little every day. Who says that people don't eat well in Lima? In Lima we eat like we are in heaven and that is because the desserts are made with a quality and a texture that is so unique and, in truth, I would do anything possible to fly from where I am right now (Italy) straight to Lima so that I can eat the sweets from my city again... A "mazamorra morada" with its rice pudding, a "turrón de doña pepa" nougat, a "suspiro a la limeña" - the "sigh of a Limean Lady"... There are so many sweets that you can try in Lima! Ah! The "bañuelos" (donuts) and the "bombitas" (profiteroles) and the "alfajores" (sweet biscuits) are a delicacy.

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On a more serious note, Lima has lost many sweets and desserts with the passing of time, for example, my grandparents' generation have tried many more sweets than I have and so, many of those sweets are losing their appeal. An example of this is the "ranfañote" (bread pudding), which was one of the most spectacular sweets that I have been able to try. Furthermore, in Peru we have native fruits like the "lúcuma", one of the tastiest fruits in the world and with which they make ice cream. I recommend you try the ice cream in the more economically-priced ice cream shops like the "donitos" in the Donofrio market or a shop like 4D and ask for a "helado de lúcuma" (Lúcuma ice cream). Then you will believe me! Then you will realise the reason why I have written this...

2. Un turrón de doña pepa (nougat)

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To talk about food in Peru is to talk about stories, it is not only about eating but also about understanding what happened throughout the history of Peru, and especially in my city. For example, I will tell you that in October, the whole of Lima turns purple during "el Señor de Los Milagors" (the Lord of Miracles) which is considered one of the longest and largest processions on the continent. They make their journey through different parts of the centre of Lima, and the story tells us that once, a woman asked for a miracle from the Christ of Pachacamilla (the Lord of Miracles), and in one of her dreams, she learned to prepare this sweet. She, in gratitude, prepared this delicious nougat... of whom? Well, the woman who had the dream was Doña Pena, and now, it is so that the nougat of Lima (the turrón) is known as the turrón de Doña Pepa. If you are in Lima during the month of October and pass by the Tacna Avenue, you will find a lot of shops offering different boxes of similar purple Doña Pepa nougat. Today, the nougat is part of our identity and I encourage you to buy the brand "San Jose", which has soft and delicious nougat.

If you go towards the centre of Lima, close to the San Martín Plaza, then I'll tell you that you are lucky because there is a shop that sells the best nougat in the whole of Lima. If you are here and you are a little reserved in trying some, dare yourself to taste one of the free samples before buying a whole box. I assure you, after you try one you will want to eat a lot more! In my case, I buy some every October, like clockwork! If a Limean tells you that they haven't tried the Doña Pepa nougat then... they are not Limean! It is a 100% Limean dessert that is made with fig candy, it has a soft texture covered with caramel colours... This has already made me want to eat one!

3. Un Suspiro de Limeña (the sigh of a Limean Lady):

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This is a dessert that has my city's name and it is very rich and very sweet. To be honest, it is not eaten as often as the other ones I have mentioned, but nevertheless it is still very well-known in Peru. There are many stories about its name, some say it comes from the dessert being delicate and soft like the sigh of a woman from Lima. It is very delicately made, with an egg white milkshake on top of it. You can also find this dessert, like the others, in the Plaza de Chabuca Granda, or in any restaurant in Miraflores. For example, I have tasted it in the restaurant Huaca Pucllana and it is delicious.

4. "Picarones" for the evenings (a smaller kind of donut):

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"Picarones" are like donuts, but they are 100% Peruvian, and they are made with pumpkin and sweet potato dough. These delicacies are fried in a frying pan and eaten hot. Limeans usually eat them in the evenings, at our favourite "picaronería" stall. They are very rich and deliciously crunchy on the lips. Once again, you can also get some of these in the Chabuca Granda Avenue, as well as in restaurants in Barranco and Tio Mario. After eating your rich "anticucho" (kebab) you can close with some "picarones" and, believe me, they are very delicious and supposed to be eaten with your hands, so do not use forks! You are free to eat it with your hands! That's only if they are clean...

5. "Paneton" for Christmas in December:

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"Paneton" (Panetonne bread) is a sponge cake that arrived in Peru all the way from Italy. It has dried fruits inside of it that give it a special Italian touch, but let me tell you that even in Peru we have started to eat much more panetonne than they do in Italy. We are a country that has received so many influences from different parts of the world, and there is no doubt that Italy has given us God's gift of Panetone! There are different brands that sell Panetone that you can find in any kiosk in the city. I would recommend that you buy from the brand Motta or Donofrio.

As you can see, these are just some of the endless sweet examples that you can find in my city. Lima is a sweet city of "mazomorras", of sighs, of nougat, and of "picarones".

I hope you have enjoyed this homage to my city, the "Gastronomic Capital of America"!

Until next time!

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