Picarones

Picarones are Peru’s answer to the doughnut — golden rings of sweet potato and squash dough, fried until crisp outside and feathery within, and drowned in a dark, spiced chancaca syrup. They are the street food of Lima’s evenings, sold from carts where vendors twist the dough into rings and fry them to order. The combination of warm, faintly savory doughnuts and molasses-like syrup is one of Peru’s greatest treats.

Why this recipe works: The dough is made from puréed sweet potato and squash mixed with flour and a little yeast — the vegetables give it a moist, tender crumb and a subtle sweetness that needs no sugar in the dough. Fried in hot oil, the rings puff and turn golden. The chancaca syrup — unrefined cane sugar (or panela) simmered with orange peel, cinnamon, and cloves — is the essential partner, poured generously over the hot picarones.

Key ingredients

• Sweet potato and squash: boiled and puréed — the dough’s moisture and flavor.
• Flour and yeast: the structure and rise.
• Anise and a pinch of salt: the subtle spice.
• Chancaca or panela: the dark, molasses-rich syrup base.
• Cinnamon, cloves, and orange peel: the syrup’s perfume.

Tips for perfect picarones

Make the dough soft and slightly sticky — it should be thick enough to pipe or shape by hand. Let it rest and rise for about 30 minutes. To shape, either pipe rings directly into the hot oil or roll and join the dough into rings. Fry at 350°F until deep golden on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes total. Make the chancaca syrup ahead: simmer the panela with water, spices, and orange peel until it thickens. Serve the picarones hot, drenched in warm syrup.

Variations and storage

Add a spoonful of anise or a splash of pisco to the syrup, or serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Picarones are best eaten hot, straight from the fryer; the dough keeps 1 day in the fridge and the syrup keeps 2 weeks.

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