Picarones

Picarones are Peruvian ring-shaped fritters made from a dough of wheat flour, squash and sweet potato, fried until crisp and served with a syrup. They are sold as street food and at fairs, mostly in Lima and the coastal regions.

What it really is

Picarones are made from a soft dough of wheat flour, mashed squash (traditionally a pale-fleshed pumpkin-type squash) and mashed sweet potato, with yeast or a leavening agent, and sometimes anise seed. The dough is shaped into rings with a hole in the middle, left to rise briefly, and deep-fried in vegetable oil until golden and slightly puffed. The rings are dipped or drizzled with chancaca syrup, a dark syrup of unrefined cane sugar boiled with cinnamon, clove and orange peel.

Picarones are often confused with other fried sweet dough rings such as churros or ordinary doughnuts. The vegetable base is what sets them apart: the squash and sweet potato give the dough its colour, moisture and a faintly sweet, earthy taste, and the dark syrup, not sugar coating, is the classic finish.

How it's served

• Served warm or at room temperature, typically in a small plate of three or four rings.
• The chancaca syrup is poured over the rings, which soften slightly as they soak it up.
• Often eaten as a dessert or an afternoon snack, sometimes with a cup of coffee or herbal tea.
• Sold from carts and stalls in the street as well as in homes and restaurants.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the key ingredients: squash and sweet potato dough, fried, with chancaca syrup.
• Flag allergens that matter: wheat (flour) and eggs if the dough contains them.
• State whether the syrup is chancaca (dark, unrefined cane sugar) or a substitute such as a refined sugar syrup.
• Say whether the picarones are served warm or cold, and whether they are dusted or drizzled with extra syrup.