The New Hotness: Picarones
Golden-fried deliciousness. In the backgroud, my go-to Pica’ plug, Haydi, of the Ricos Picarones cart in Cusco is whipping up a porcion
“The New Hotness” is a new series on The Soul Wanderer. These are things I like, and that I believe have potential to expand far beyond their current cultural, geographic, or economic footprint. In short, anything delightful, compelling, and/or interesting I find during my wanderings, that not many people know about, is likely to make it into this series.
First up, Picarones. Let’s dive in…
What are Picarones?
Picarones (peek-uh-roe-nays) are nothing less than a culinary wonder of the world. Hailing from Peru, these golden-fried treats resemble over-sized onion rings, and come drizzled with a “miel de higo” or “fig honey.” But it isn’t honey at all—adding to this sweet treat’s mystique—it’s actually a chancaca syrup, infused with fruits, herbs, and spices. You can find these “donuts” being fried up fresh and hot on the streets of Cusco, but only in the evenings. I put “donuts” in quotations because well, honestly, these are way better than doughnuts. And I LOVE doughnuts, so much so that I previously would consider it blasphemous to say anything in this world is better than doughnuts. But Picarones just are.
Picarones the size of my head. Bless them.
How did Picarones come to grace us with their magnificent presence?
Picarones have been around for at least 200 years (maybe this installment should be called “The Old Hotness”), and are an adaptation of buñuelos, fried dough balls brought to Peru by Spanish colonists. African slaves (also brought to Peru by the Spaniards) reimagined the dessert using locally-grown “new world” ingredients like camote and zapallo—Peruvian sweet potato and pumpkin squash, respectively. (Fun fact: buñuelos were originally introduced to Spain by Muslims from the Middle East, sending the tradition of culinary riffing even farther back geographically and temporally).
Why are Picarones the new hotness?
In addition to being dank af (read: mind-blowingly delicious), Picarones hit on many emerging food trends, namely:
They are plant-based. The primary ingredients are squash, sweet potato, and flour. Picarones are dairy-free, and in some cases vegan, as the dough can be made with or without eggs. There are also gluten-free versions floating around in the internet-recipe ether.
They are a fermented food, as the dough yeast is given time to feed and rise. Fermented foods, from kimchi to kombucha to sourdough bread, are the new hotness in health foods, touting immune-boosting and anti-cancer properties. I don’t know if these benefits would extend to something fried in hot oil and then drizzled with sugar-syrup, but... did I mention how delicious they are?
Not just empty calories. In my culinary consulting days, we called this a “permissible indulgence,” meaning people can justify face-stuffing this treat, due to its “health halo” courtesy of the nutrient-dense veggies (it’s certainly how I justified my own face-stuffing, at least).
More than sweet. Picarones are more than just sweet. Bitter, floral, and herbaceous flavors are trending in the culinary world. The anise-, fig-, pineapple- and orange peel-infused panela syrup delivers a palate-zinging punch that brings you back for another bite (and another, and another).
Who has the best picarones in Cusco?
I became obsessed with Picarones during my time in Peru. I first discovered them as I was eagerly searching for a sweet, dairy-free fix upon the completion of my post-ayahuasca dieta. I proceeded to eat them every single day for a week. I began to seek out every picarone purveyor I could find, talking to locals to discover “donde hay su favorita picarones?” in my broken Spanish.
Here, I countdown my top five:
The Best Picarones in Cusco
#5: Ricos Picarones
This is a fried chicken restaurant by day, picarones joint starting as the sun dips behind the tall apartment buildings lining Retiro Ave., around 4:00pm. The picarones here are really good. I’m surprised it only came in fifth as I would go back here in a heartbeat. But, there are four others who happen to be even better.
Tasting notes: crispy, light and served up hot. The syrup is a little one-dimensional in flavor compared to the others, but that doesn’t stop me from asking for a re-up mid-plate.
#4: Las Ruinas Picarones
This is a brick-and-mortar spot, a rarity in the picarone industry, and a testament to their popularity. Another sign of just how good this place is? They only open their doors for 3 hours each day, from 5:00-8:00pm (like how do you even afford rent doing that?). This small shop is basically the picarones version of the “soup Nazi” in Seinfeld: the service here is curt, a stark contrast to the kind, genial, and gregarious street picarones vendors. But their picarones taste great all the same.
Notes: these are the most expensive in town. S/5 PEN (~$1.50 USD) for a portion of 4 small-ish picarones.
Las Ruinas picarone plate. Un porcion is a standard order that almost always comes with four picarones.
#3: The little stand on Av. La Cultura, near the Amauta bus stop
Señora Reyna sets up here around 6:00pm and shuts down promptly at 9:00pm, if not earlier. Many Cusqueños I talked to claimed she has the best in town. So why the 3rd place finish here? I have two theories: Sra. Reyna is a genial personality, she seems to know everyone, waving and saying hello to passersby, while she stirs and flips her picarones one-handed with a chopstick (like a mf’in boss). So there may be some personal bias at play here. The other theory, is that my extranjero palate is not attuned to the traditional flavor and texture of these desserts, i.e. the way they “should” be. That may well be, but this is my blog, and my palate found two other picarones superior.
Lost points for: Texture — both times I tried these, they were a little dough-y, and lacked the light crispy and tender qualities I crave in a picarone. They do have a lovely golden brown pan-sear on them, courtesy of Sra. Reynas shallow-oil frying technique, which adds umami and helps them make up some ground.
Sra. Reyna slangin’ dough… she never skimps on the miel either
#2: “Ricos Picarones” on Recoleta
Not to be confused with Ricos Picarones two blocks away, this Ricos Picarones is a cart that posts up on Recoleta from 4:00-7:30pm most days. The lovely Haydi fries these up to order, and they are absolutely delicious. I found this cart after a two-day picarone bender, and they were so good I ordered a second portion. The picarones themselves are absolutely heavenly—light, crispy, and oh-so-melt-in-your-mouth delicate. The miel gets high marks as well, bright and floral, like orange blossoms dancing across your tongue.
Haydi and I, and picarones of course
drumroll please…
and now…
for the winner…
of Cusco’s best picarones…
according to me…
# 1 — The little stand in San Pedro market
Señora Elvira doesn’t even have a sign. She doesn’t need one. The aroma of her homemade dough billows forth from her magical deep-frying cauldron, wafting through Cusco’s busiest market, stopping unsuspecting shoppers in their tracks to ask “What is that enchanting scent?”
Like a queen bee emitting pheromones to summon her subjects to the hive, Sra. Elvira powerfully broadcasts her siren-song, er, smell.
And the Picarone Queen of Cusco is a busy bee, at the vibrantly ripe age of 80 (by my estimation). Whipping up batch after batch, she greets you with a warm and mostly toothless grin. Patrons lucky enough to have already been served, steady themselves on the wobbly benches strewn haphazardly around her little stand.
Don’t get discouraged, but for this greatness you may have to wait. Sra. Elvira is extremely busy. After slanging ‘rones to the throngs descending on her small cart like dough-crazed zombies, she has deliveries to make—packing up to-go boxes, stacked high in one hand, and carrying a glass jug of her famous miel in the other. This is important. Sra. Elvira respects the sacred crispiness of picarones, and wouldn’t dare dampen them by pre-syrupping her babies. A real pro of the Picarone game.
Tasting Notes: the best syrup I’ve ever tasted. Rich and complex in flavor—anise-, orange-, fig-flavors burst forth, with nuanced layers that continue delighting your palate even after you swallow that bite. The picarones themselves are fried to perfection—light and tender-crisp.
All hail Sra. Elvira, the Queen of Picarones
Research Methodology
Once I found out about these little gifts from heaven, I knew I had to try them. Problem was, after my first bite, I couldn’t stop. At my low point, I ate a dozen of these doughnuts in a 6-hour period, in the name of “research” (you’re welcome). I visited 10 different Picarones vendors within a two-mile radius of the city center, honing my palate and developing the criteria for rating their delectability: crispiness, lightness, chewiness, and dynamism of syrup flavor.
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Have you had picarones before? New hotness or nah? Where are your favorite picarones? Drop a comment on Instagram to let me know!
Pile-o-‘rones.
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