The Afro-women from San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia, knwon as “palenqueras”, are renowned for their tasteful food and their delicious traditional sweets. Most of the women in Palenque dedicate themselves to the making of these sweets, which they later sell in Cartagena.
The palenqueras and the traditional sweet-making
The tradition of making typical sweets has been passed down from generation to generation, and many families in this municipality of Bolivar rely economically on the sale of these products. The palenqueras start preparing their sweets the night before to finish them very early the next morning. Then, they undertake a journey of approximately one and a half hours to the city of Cartagena.
There, some of them sell their sweets by walking through the neighborhoods of the city, carrying a large tray on their heads and announcing their products with cries like “Cocada, caballito, alegria, enyucado, jalea,” among other names of the sweets they offer. It is also common to find them on the city’s beaches, where visitors can enjoy these exquisite flavors.
Delicious sweets you can buy in Cartagena
Cocada (Coco sweet)
The traditional cocada recipe is made solely with coconut and panela (a kind of sugar). However, there are various versions of this sweet that incorporate other ingredients, creating delicious combinations. Among the most popular are coconut and guava cocada, coconut and arequipe cocada, and pineapple cocada.
Caballito (‘Small horse’)
The main ingredient of caballito is papaya. This sweet is prepared with green papaya, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. To make it, the papaya is cut into long strips. In a pot, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves are boiled with water. Then, the papaya is added and cooked until it forms a marmalade-like consistency and the papaya strips are well cooked.
Alegria (‘Happiness’)
Alegria is one of the most emblematic sweets, with its main ingredient being maize millo. This sweet is made with panela, coconut, anise, and, of course, maize millo. To prepare it, millo popcorn is made first, then a caramel with coconut and panela. Finally, all the ingredients are combined with the anise and formed into small balls.
Enyucado (Yuca sweet)
Enyucado is a cake made from yuca. Its preparation includes cheese, panela, butter, coconut, and anise. To make it, the yuca, coconut, cheese, and panela are grated. Then, these four ingredients are mixed in a container with butter. Finally, it is baked for 45 minutes.
Jalea (Jelly)
The main ingredient of this Colombian jelly is tamarind. It is prepared with sugar and egg whites. These two ingredients are mixed with the tamarind using a mixer until a texture similar to meringue is obtained.