7 Must-try Traditional Desserts in Peru

Tired of the same old desserts that most restaurants offer? Are you one of those couples whose meal isn’t complete without a sweet dessert to cap it off? Worry no more because here, we will provide you with dessert ideas that will surely make your date with Peruvian women so much sweeter (pun intended).

One of the best parts of traveling is getting to try the best gastronomic wonders that the country your visiting has to offer. If you have an insatiable craving for sweets, Peru certainly has enough on the menu to satisfy your cravings. With a combination of Spanish taste and native culinary influences, Peru makes special, interesting and tasty desserts. Here are some that you mustn't miss trying:

• Mazamorra Morada

  This dessert originated from Peru’s capital city, Lima. The city is notorious for having long and dreary winters, prompting its residents to come up with a dessert that’ll help to keep themselves warm during cold seasons.

  Since its inception, Mazamorra morada has been a staple desert in Peru culture. It is made from purple corn, cinnamon and clove with a variety of fruits like cherry, apricot, pineapple and peach. For the mixture, sweet potato flour is used to thicken it or make it appear gelatin-like.

• Suspiro de Limeña

  Suspiro de limeña was invented by Amparo Ayarza, the wife of the poet Jose Galvez. This classic dessert was named Suspiro de limeña which means “sigh of a woman from Lima”.

  Amparo named it such because of its light and sweet nature. It is made of manjar blanco, a type of sweetened milk paste, with port wine merengue and cinnamon. Suspiro de limeña is a classic dessert that is most popular in the city of Lima.

• Picarones

  Picarones is a type of donut which is made up of sweet potato and squash, hence making it unique. This Peruvian dessert first appeared in cookbooks during the mid-19th century.

  It is usually served with a chancaca topping, a syrup consisting of raw, unrefined sugar from sugarcane which is usually flavored with orange peel and cinnamon.

• Guargüeros

  Guargüeros is a traditional Peruvian dessert which originated in the Southern region of Peru. It is made up of fried dough and manjar blanco filling. This dessert is very common in cities like Arequipa, Cusco and Tacna. It is budget-friendly too and can be done easily.

  You may also want to make this for your lover to make it extra special. The ingredients of this dessert include flour, salt, egg yolks and pisco. With these four ingredients, you can already make a tasty dessert for your Peruvian girlfriend.

• Frejol Colado

  This dessert is often served during Holy Week. The recipe includes cooked black beans which are mixed with sugar, milk and chancaca to form a smooth puree.

  The sweetened black bean dessert is topped with ground cinnamon or roasted sesame to make it look more palatable. Frejol Colado originated from the Afro-Peruvian communities.

• Champús

  Champus is a popular fruity dessert in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. It is mainly made of corn and fruits like pineapple, quince or guanábana, and is sweetened with panela.

  This dessert is best served hot with cinnamon, cloves and orange tree leaves seasoning. In Lima and other Peruvian cities, this dessert is often sold by street vendors.

• Lúcuma Ice Cream

  If conventional ice cream flavors are too mundane for your palate, try this one out! Lucuma or “eggfruit” in English is a subtropical fruit which grows in the valleys of the Andes. Its taste is somewhat similar to that of sweet potatoes. Lucuma is a popular flavoring for ice cream and other desserts in Peru.

Peruvian women take so much pride in their culture and heritage, and there wouldn’t be a more immersive cultural experience than by trying out their cuisine and local specialties? So when you travel to Peru, make sure you don’t leave without trying these sumptuous desserts out, otherwise, you’d be missing out on a lot of sweet savory goodness.