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Dish · Arequipa
Chupe de camarones
Thick river shrimp soup with potato, egg, milk and cheese. It is called the ambassador of traditional Arequipa cuisine and is served as a main course in the picanterías.
Flavors · Lambayeque
King Kong
Large alfajor made with buttery cookies layered with manjar blanco, pineapple jam and peanut candy. It originated in the city of Lambayeque, and the name comes from the 1933 film.
Traditional sweet from Lambayeque, Lambayeque
Also known as: King Kong de manjar blanco, king kong lambayecano
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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King Kong — Lambayeque, Peru
The King Kong is a large alfajor, sold in slabs of half a kilo or one kilo. The cookies are made from flour, butter, egg yolks and milk and become slightly crisp. Between them are layers of manjar blanco, pineapple jam and peanut candy, alternating a cookie between each filling.
The official Andina agency describes the King Kong as an original and emblematic dessert of Lambayeque. The story told in the city says that, between the 1920s and 1930s, a resident of San Roque street, Victoria Mejía de García, with her daughter and friends, created an alfajor different from those known before, larger and with more than one filling.
The name came from the people. In 1933 the film King Kong premiered, and buyers began to compare the size of the sweet to that of the gorilla, asking for “a King Kong.” The nickname stuck.
Today several producers in the city of Lambayeque make the sweet, gathered in an association of King Kong and typical sweets producers. King Kong is the name of a type of sweet; trademarks registered by manufacturers are not the subject of this page.
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Where it comes from
Lambayeque , Lambayeque
Sweet that originated in the city of Lambayeque, where several producers make it.
Ingredients
Wheat flour, butter, egg yolks and milk in the cookies; manjar blanco, pineapple jam and peanut candy in the fillings.
How it is eaten
In slices, by hand, with coffee or tea.
When it is eaten
All year round.
Your questions
Questions about King Kong
Why is the sweet called King Kong?
Because of its size. In 1933 the film King Kong premiered, and buyers in Lambayeque began to compare the large alfajor to the gorilla from the film.
What does the King Kong contain?
Buttery cookies layered with manjar blanco, pineapple jam and peanut candy.
Is King Kong a brand?
No. It is the name of a type of sweet, produced by several makers in the city of Lambayeque.
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