Picarones
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Type | Doughnut |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Peru |
| Main ingredients | Squash, sweet potatoes, chancaca syrup |
Picarones (or Picarón singular) are a Peruvian dessert[1] that originated in Lima during the viceroyalty. It is somewhat similar to buñuelos, a type of doughnut brought to the colonies by Spanish conquistadors. Its principal ingredients are squash and sweet potato. It is served in a doughnut form and covered with syrup, made from chancaca (solidified molasses).[2] It is traditional to serve picarones when people prepare anticuchos, another traditional Peruvian dish.[3]
Picarones were created during the colonial period to replace buñuelos as buñuelos were too expensive to make.[4] People started replacing traditional ingredients with squash and sweet potato, which created a new dessert, picarones.
Picarones are mentioned by Ricardo Palma in his book Tradiciones Peruanas (literally Peruvian traditions). Picarones are also featured in traditional Latin American music and poetry.[4]
This dessert is mentioned in the autobiographical memoirs Remembrances of thirty years (1810-1840) (Spanish: Recuerdos de treinta años (1810-1840)) by Chilean José Zapiola, who mentions that picarones were typically eaten in Plaza de Armas de Santiago (Chile) before 1810.[5]
Gallery
The picarones are one of the main typical dishes of Peru.
