South America

Snacks from Peru

Peruvian snacking is a picaron, a squash-and-sweet-potato doughnut with chancaca syrup, and turrón de Doña Pepa, an anise cookie stack with candy sprinkles for October. Tejas and chocotejas from Ica, manjar-filled walnuts. Cancha serrana, toasted corn. Anticuchos are heart skewers at dusk. This is a purple-month cookie tower and a squash doughnut, not a Chilean sopaipilla with different salsa.

Updated August 27, 2026

Signature snacks: Picarones, Turrón de Doña Pepa, Tejas / chocotejas, Cancha
Flavor palette: chancaca, anise turron, manjar walnut
When people snack: Doña Pepa in October and picarones after a night out
What travelers buy: chocotejas, Doña Pepa turrón, cancha, picarones eaten hot

What to try first

Picarones Ring doughnuts of squash and sweet potato, served with chancaca syrup.
Turrón de Doña Pepa Layered anise cookies bound with syrup and covered in sprinkles, an October Lord of Miracles sweet.
Tejas / chocotejas Ica sweets: manjar-filled pecans or nuts, sometimes chocolate-coated.
Cancha Toasted corn kernels, a crunchy Andean nibble.
Anticuchos Grilled beef-heart skewers with potato, a dusk street snack.
Suspiro de limeña (spoon) Manjar and meringue, a dessert often eaten as a shared cafe snack.
Choclo with queso Boiled Andean corn with fresh cheese, a market pair.

October has a cookie

Turrón de Doña Pepa is not Spanish nougat. It is anise cookies stacked with syrup and carnival sprinkles, tied to Lima’s purple month. Picarones are the year-round fryer: squash, sweet potato, a ring, chancaca. They are not New York doughnuts and not Chilean sopaipillas.

Ica’s tejas are manjar in a nut, chocotejas when chocolate enters. Cancha is toasted corn in a bowl. Anticuchos keep the savory dusk. Pack chocotejas and boxed turrón. Picarones are hot.

Questions about snacks from Peru

What snacks is Peru known for?

Picarones, turrón de Doña Pepa, tejas and chocotejas, cancha, anticuchos, and choclo with cheese.

What is turrón de Doña Pepa?

An anise-cookie-and-syrup stack with colorful sprinkles, eaten especially in October in Lima.

What are picarones?

Fried rings made with squash and sweet potato, served with chancaca (cane syrup).

What Peruvian sweet travels?

Chocotejas and boxed Doña Pepa. Picarones are same-hour.

From the journal

No tasting reviews from Peru yet. This page is the research hub. When we eat something from here, the note will land in the journal and on this page.