Dulce de Camote
Sweet potato pudding, but make it Afro-Peruvian.
In Peru’s creole culture, food and music are inseparable. And just like sommeliers pair wine with food, I like to pair songs with dishes. In the case of dulce de camote, there’s an Afro-Peruvian song that is the perfect accompaniment.
Dulce de Camote
Serves 8
In Peru’s creole cuisine, sweet potato is a key ingredient in picarones, ceviche, and pan con chicharron. And though Indigenous peoples throughout South America have cultivated and cooked sweet potato for thousands of years, it was enslaved Afro-descendants that turned sweet potato mash into a dessert sweetened with sugar, made creamy with milk, and spiced with cinnamon and cloves.
Afro-Peruvian singer Lucila Campos gives the camote (sweet potato) musicality in “Saca Camote con el Pie.” The song’s chorus means, “to remove the [buried] sweet potato with your feet,” but it’s really about dancing, and celebrating life, as the lyrics invite energetic foot stomping. Modern Afro-Peruvian band Novamila fuses traditional Black rhythms with electronica in an updated version, “Camote.”
In this dulce de camote, soy milk makes it plant-based while cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla extract add warmth, depth, and complexity. Sweet vermouth gives it a boozy aromatic hit and colorful sprinkles impart a playful elegance to the creamy mash. I don’t think you’ll have any leftovers, but if you do, refrigerate in a sealed container. And don’t forget to play Afro-Peruvian music while cooking.
1 pound sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
3 cups water
½ cup soy milk
½ cup raw sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sweet vermouth
sprinkles, for garnish
In a 2-quart pot over medium heat, combine the sweet potato, cinnamon, cloves, and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sweet potato is fork tender, about 20 minutes.
Strain the sweet potato and transfer to a bowl. Compost the cinnamon and cloves. Use a fork to mash the sweet potato into a soft purée. Return the mashed sweet potato to the pot.
Mix in the soy milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Bring to a simmer, and stir to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add the vermouth, and continue to stir another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Serve warm in small ramekins and decorate with sprinkles.