Mazamorra llipta is a traditional dessert from Ayacucho and Huancavelica, made with llipta corn flour (a dark-colored corn), aromatic herbs, and orange peel, sweetened and thickened into a smooth texture. It’s valued for its nutritive properties and unique flavor.
Its preparation combines an herbal infusion with the slow cooking of the corn flour, a process that requires patience to achieve this Andean dessert’s characteristic texture.
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Peruvian Mazamorra Llipta
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Peruvian
Description
Peruvian preparation featuring maíz y llipta de uso alimentario, adapted for a home kitchen with clear measurements.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of reddish starchy corn flour (paru sara sara corn)
- Cold water, added gradually until the flour dissolves with no lumps
- 4 cups of water (for the infusion)
- Chamomile, lemon balm, and fennel sprigs
- Dried orange peel, to taste
- 1 teaspoon of ground anise
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Golden cane sugar, to taste, to sweeten the infusion
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons of ash water
- Water and eucalyptus ash, to make the ash water
- 1/2 cup of fresh milk
Preparation
- Make the ash water, boil water with eucalyptus ash, let it rest until all the ash settles at the bottom, and pour off the water very carefully; set aside 2 tablespoons.
- Dissolve the flour, mix the starchy corn flour with cold water until no lumps remain.
- Make the infusion, boil the 4 cups of water with the chamomile, lemon balm, fennel, and orange peel until it turns greenish; strain.
- Cook the mazamorra, add the anise, cinnamon, sugar, and pinch of salt to the infusion; after 3 minutes, stir in the diluted flour without stopping. Add the ash water until it turns yellowish and let it boil for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Finish and serve, add the milk at the end of cooking and serve hot.
Chef’s Tips
- Stir constantly during cooking to prevent lumps from forming.
- Strain the herbal infusion well for a smooth texture.
- Adjust the amount of sugar to your desired sweetness.
Traditional Variations
The ash water (llipta) is what gives this dessert its characteristic yellow color; in Ayacucho it’s made with eucalyptus ash.
Some families replace fresh milk with evaporated milk, giving it a creamier texture.
How to Serve
Serve hot, as breakfast or dessert, especially on cold mornings in the Ayacucho and Huancavelica highlands.
Recommended Pairings
- Homemade bread
- Fresh cheese
- Coffee or herbal tea
Did You Know?
Mazamorra llipta is well known in Ayacucho for its medicinal properties, attributed to the llipta corn and the aromatic herbs used in its preparation, making it a traditional breakfast during cold seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a sweet pudding from Ayacucho made with reddish starchy corn flour (paru sara sara), an infusion of aromatic herbs, and ash water, which gives it its yellowish color; it's finished with a little milk.
It refers to the ash water: water boiled with eucalyptus ash, left to settle, and then carefully poured off. It gives this mazamorra its yellowish color and characteristic flavor.
It's traditionally served warm or hot, freshly made, though it can also be enjoyed cold once it has fully thickened.
