Imagine the lovechild of a spice cake, a pumpkin pie, and a beignet, and you’ll get an idea of Peru’s picarones, which date back to Peru’s colonial days. Potatoes are everywhere in Peru—more than 3,800 varieties are grown there—so even the desserts are papa-packed. In this case, camote, a type of sweet potato, is mixed with macre, a type of squash, to form a silky purée. It’s combined with flour, sugar, yeast, and anise, formed into a round doughnut shape and deep fried. The light and airy sweets are then drizzled in chancaca (chopped raw sugar dissolved in hot water until it forms a molasses-like syrup), and served immediately. These sweets may not be as popular as they once were, but still make appearances at almost every old school bakery and on tables during holidays. Vendors often add pink or yellow food coloring to give it a bright, attention-grabbing color. These foamy and fluffy treats are often served with sweet-tart blackberry syrup to balance the sugar overload a bit.
