Picarones (or Picaron ''singular'') are a Peruvian dessert that originated in
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
during the
viceroyalty
A viceroyalty was an entity headed by a viceroy. It dates back to the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the sixteenth century.
France
* Viceroyalty of New France
Portuguese Empire
In the scope of the Portuguese Empire, the term " Viceroyalt ...
. It is somewhat similar to
buñuelos, a type of doughnut brought to the colonies by Spanish conquistadors. Its principal ingredients are
squash
Squash may refer to:
Sports
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling
* Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
and
sweet potato. It is served in a doughnut form and covered with syrup, made from
chancaca
Chancaca is a typical Bolivian, Chilean and Peruvian, warm, sweet sauce made of raw unrefined sugar from sugarcane. It is often flavored with orange peel and cinnamon, and is consumed on sopaipillas or picarones.
Chancaca is also a synonym f ...
(solidified molasses). It is traditional to serve picarones when people prepare
anticuchos
''Anticuchos'' (singular ''anticucho'', Quechua 'Anti Kuchu', ''Anti'': 'Eastern region of the Andes' or 'Eastern native ethnicities', ''Kuchu'': 'Cut'; Quechua for 'Anti-style cuts', 'Eastern-style cuts') are popular and inexpensive meat dishes ...
, another traditional Peruvian dish.
History
Picarones were created during the colonial period to replace
buñuelos as buñuelos were too expensive to make. People started replacing traditional ingredients with squash and sweet potato. Accidentally, they created a new dessert that rapidly increased in popularity.
Picarones are mentioned by
Ricardo Palma
Manuel Ricardo Palma Soriano (February 7, 1833 – October 6, 1919) was a Peruvian author, scholar, librarian and politician. His magnum opus is the ''Tradiciones peruanas''.
Biography
According to the official account, Manuel Ricardo Pa ...
in his book ''Tradiciones Peruanas'' (literally ''Peruvian traditions''). Picarones are also featured in traditional Latin American music and poetry.
This dessert is mentioned in the autobiographical memoirs ''Remembrances of thirty years (1810-1840)'' (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
: 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.
Gallery
File:Picarones recién hechos.jpg
File:Picarones.jpg
Que ricos picarones!.jpg
File:Picaron.jpg, The picarones are one of the main typical dishes of Peru.
See also
*
List of doughnut varieties
Doughnuts are a type of fried dough food. The following is a list of doughnut varieties.
Variations and specialties by region
The terms below constitute either names for different doughnut types created using local recipes, or for the local la ...
*
List of fried dough varieties
This is a list of fried dough foods. Many cultures have dishes that are prepared by deep frying dough in many various forms. Doughnuts are a type of fried dough food that are covered separately in the Wikipedia article List of doughnut varieties.
...
*
List of squash and pumpkin dishes
*
Sources
* Compton, M. D. April 20, 2004. ''Peruvian Traditions: Ricardo Palma’s Latin American Historic and Folkloric Tales''. United States. AuthorHouse.
* Plevisani, S. 2005. ''Dulce Pasión''. Lima, Perú. Quebecor World Perú.
* Ada y Maricarmen. February, 1997. ''El Arte de la Repostería''. Lima, Perú. Biblos
*
References
External links
Recipe for Picarones
{{Street food
Doughnuts
Peruvian desserts
Street food
Squash and pumpkin dishes
