Nances en dulce is a traditional Guatemalan dessert of nance fruit cooked in a panela or sugar syrup with spices, making use of this small wild fruit.
It’s a sweet with a particular, aromatic flavor, very popular during the season when nance is available in the country.
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Guatemalan Nance Fruit in Spiced Syrup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Guatemalan
Ingredients
- 500 g of nance fruit, washed (about 1.1 lb)
- 1.5 cups of sugar or grated panela
- 2 cups of water
- 1 of cinnamon stick
- 3 of cloves
Instructions
- Make the syrup, boil the water with the sugar or panela, cinnamon, and cloves until fully dissolved.
- Add the nance, add the washed nance fruit to the boiling syrup.
- Cook, cook over low heat until the nance is tender and the syrup thickens slightly, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Cool, let the nance cool in the syrup so it absorbs the flavor better.
- Serve, serve cold, with some of the syrup.
Tips for getting it right
- Washing the nance well before cooking is important, since it’s cooked whole with the skin on.
- Nance has a particular, slightly tart flavor that balances well with the syrup’s sweetness.
- Cooking over low heat keeps the fruit from falling apart during cooking.
- It’s a seasonal dessert, enjoyed when nance is available in Guatemala.
Traditional variations
- It’s a seasonal dessert, made when nance is available in the country.
- Some families prepare nance en dulce with a touch of alcohol, macerating it longer, for a version of nance liqueur.
How to serve
Nances en dulce are served cold, with some of the syrup, as a dessert.
It’s a traditional seasonal Guatemalan sweet, valued for its distinctive flavor.
Recommended sides
- Homemade bread
Did you know?
Nance is a small wild fruit with a distinctive flavor, highly prized in Central America for making sweets and liqueurs.
Besides the sweet, nance macerated in alcohol is the base of a traditional liqueur very popular in several countries in the region.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a traditional Guatemalan dessert of nance fruit cooked in panela or sugar syrup with spices.
It's a small, aromatic wild fruit, highly prized in Central America for making sweets and liqueurs.
It's a seasonal dessert, made when nance is available in Guatemala.
Yes, some families macerate the nance in alcohol for longer to prepare a traditional nance liqueur.
