Dulcerías in Lima: where do they sell the Peruvian desserts ‘more caletas’? Our recommendations

Is it possible to eat the past? Posing on the tongue the same flavors of the history of our country and smelling that cinnamon or the corn that took the hands of the women who cooked — and sweetened — our identity?

If it’s posible. At present we still have the opportunity to find the old recipes of humitas originating in the Andes in their sweetest version, lemons stuffed with memory of the convent or ranfañote with viceregal flavor in three of the main sweet shops of our Lima that are not he.

SANTA ROSA (MAGDALENA DEL MAR)

Marina Scheelje, one of the daughters of the couple Rosa Emilia Luna and Maynor Scheelje, recalls the origin of the Dulcería Santa Rosa, this traditional Magdalena place that has been in the Jr. Leoncio Prado for more than fifty years, since its foundation in 1968: “ My mother wanted to work without neglecting the home. We were very young and after finishing the tasks we had to help. Before we were on the corner, but it was a rented space. Over time this was bought, it was an old house that was rebuilt ”. Since that time, the residents of Magdalena have known that in this house they will find the same warmth of home and the desserts of yesteryear made with the love of always.

Among the most sought after is the viceregal ranfañote, a Lima dessert originally from the slaves and made with stale bread and honey. In addition, the limeña sigh, the knitted sweets such as strained beans, white coconut manjar, quince paste, sweet potato, polished (carrot balls with orange) and the sought after blood of raisins: “We make it based on yellow cornmeal, it has anise grains. First the chancaca is boiled, it has to be strained to put the yellow corn flour and, at the end, the lard is made ”, says Marina about her recipe. Now, with his sisters and nieces, they divide the tasks to continue preparing all the desserts on the menu and share family secrets with their loyal diners, a task that they have had to adapt in this pandemic, turning their attention only to take away and delivery.

The classic desserts such as rice pudding, purple and chancaca mazamorra, zambito rice with pecans, walnuts and raisins, shampoos, suspiro a la Lima and many more are part of the menu.

• Where: Jr. Leoncio Prado 471, Magdalena
• Hours: Monday to Sunday from 12 m. at 9 pm
• Modality: To collect locally. Delivery to 2635053 and by Rappi

DULCERÍA ROSITA (PUEBLO LIBRE)

With the same recipes and affection since 1976, in Rosita de Pueblo Libre you will find colonial and spoon desserts prepared in the artisanal way. The purple porridge, rice pudding and freshly prepared shampoos leave an impressive fruity aroma announcing that they are ready to be served from one in the afternoon. Another of its specialties are the humitas and the corn cake, also in its sweet version, according to the palate of each diner. Uncovering one of their hot fresh ground corn humitas, or splitting their corn cake, is to discover the majesty of corn and the good company of anise and raisins. Definitely the best of the house.

As a result of the pandemic, they had to adjust their extensive menu and stop preparing some of their classics such as zambito rice or pig mazamorra, to focus on those already mentioned, as well as the much-requested pudding, a sweet made by them with chancay. , not with bread; figs with delicacy and sweet potato. The bavarois de chilli, of Swiss origin, is another of their most recognized desserts and they are not easily found anywhere. They also prepare more contemporary sweets such as roasted milk.

Cinthia Aldana, who currently runs the Dulcería Rosita baton, assures that the secret to the success of the business is to maintain the original recipe, use only first-rate ingredients and prepare them in an artisanal way, without chemicals or industrialized ingredients: “People search and always return for that homemade flavor that you can’t find anywhere else. It is what makes the difference ”, Aldana tells us, referring to the same flavor that Rosita knew as a child, which her hands later prepared and for which new generations return.

• Where ?: Jr. Cabo Nicolás Gutarra 398, Pueblo Libre.
• Hours: Monday to Saturday from 1 pm to 8 pm
• Modality: To pick up locally and delivery to 949 587 858

PASTELERÍA FAUSTA (MIRAFLORES)

Fausta was inaugurated four years ago and, as of today, it will be almost two years in compliance with the new rules of the pandemic. But, Fausta is not daunted because in her name she carries the strength of the woman who inspired her. Mila Huamán is the manager of this business located in Miraflores as a tribute to Fausta, the pastry grandmother who prepared guargüeros and prestiños for her during her childhood visits to Huánuco.

His cozy place in Miraflores has installed a couple of benches outside to eat desserts in the open air: convent sweets such as guargüeros turn into beautiful egg yolk handkerchiefs with pisco and manjar blanco between the fingers. Prestiños, alfajores and the inevitable nougat in homage to Doña Josefa Marmanillo, its devoted creator, anointed by the miracles of the Moreno Christ in the 18th century.

The lemon stuffed with manjar blanco is one of its main rescues and an important bet for Huamán because it is a colonial dessert in the process of extinction: “It is stuffed made with lemon peel, boiled, cleaned inside and boiled again in syrup, in sugar with cloves and cinnamon for hours. Afterwards, a very soft shell like jelly comes out and it is filled with homemade white delicacy. That sweet made by the Spanish nuns who educated the Lima ladies. They taught them to make the convent desserts that we have inherited ”, Mila Huamán tells us.

What better way to recover the best of our past than with a dessert between our lips? For this, Fausta offers the Bicentennial Box, a box with rice pudding, purple mazamorra, Lima sigh, “Mi Bicolor” cookies, huanuqueños prestiños, lambayecano king kong with Butterscotch, nougat, pisco sour macaroni, moqueguano guargüeros, alfajores of pecans with maras salt and convent lemons stuffed with homemade pot white delicacy.

• Where ?: Calle General Mendiburu 738, Miraflores
• Hours: Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm and Sundays from 10 am to 6 pm
• Modality: To eat outside the premises, to take away and delivery. Orders: 989 496 359 and by Rappi

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