Suspiro de limeña
Suspiro de limeña or Suspiro a la limeña is a dessert of Peruvian gastronomy. A literal translation of the dessert's name is "Sigh of the lady from Lima".
 | |
| Alternative names | Suspiro a la limeña |
|---|---|
| Type | Dessert |
| Place of origin | Peru |
| Region or state | Lima |
| Main ingredients | manjar blanco (milk, sugar, almond flour, egg yolks, vanilla), meringue (egg whites, Oporto, cinnamon) |
Origin
The origins of the dessert are in the middle of the nineteenth century in Lima, Peru.
Its history starts with the wife of poet Jose Galvez, Amparo Ayarza, who invented the recipe. Galvez gave it its name because it is sweet and light "like a woman's sigh".
The dessert is based around manjar blanco, the Peruvian name for what is known as dulce de leche elsewhere in South America, itself coming from blancmange, a dish from the Middle Ages. Blancmange came to Peru from Spain. It consisted of a thick cream made of milk, sugar, almond flour and some Iberian ingredients. An even older recipe had it made of chicken breast boiled in milk, almonds and thickened with flour and was meant as a bland food for the sick and weak.
The other element of the Suspiro de Limeña is meringue, also brought to Peru by the Spaniards.
The dessert is consumed mainly in Lima and in other Peruvian cities. It is a staple of Peruvian restaurants abroad.
Preparation
The manjar blanco layer of the dessert is made with whole milk and sugar boiled until thick and caramel colored to which are added egg yolk and sometimes, but not necessarily vanilla essence.
The merengue top layer is made from egg whites and port wine syrup (made from port wine and sugar boiled together until thickened) and is sprinkled with cinnamon.
See also
References
- Suspiro a la limeña (Municipalidad de Lima).