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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 · Ica
Teja
Manjar blanco bonbon with a filling of candied fruit or pecan nuts, covered in fondant; the chocoteja is the chocolate version. It is Ica’s traditional sweet, recognized by the municipal government as culinary heritage.
Traditional sweet from Ica, Ica
Also known as: tejas de Ica, teja iqueña, chocoteja
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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Teja — Ica, Peru
The teja is a small, oval-shaped bonbon. Inside it has manjar blanco, the Peruvian dulce de leche, surrounding a filling of candied lemon, fig or orange, or pecan nuts. On the outside it has a thin white fondant coating, made from cooked and whipped sugar.
The sweet is associated with colonial confectionery, when in convents of nuns sugar, milk and fruits brought by the Spanish were combined. In Ica, a city of irrigated valleys in the middle of the desert, the teja became the local sweet.
The more recent version is the chocoteja, with a chocolate coating instead of fondant, which appeared a few decades ago; both coexist in the city’s shops and workshops, and some workshops welcome visitors.
The Municipalidad Provincial de Ica recognized the teja and the chocoteja as cultural and culinary heritage of the province and created the Day of the Teja and the Chocoteja Iqueña on June 15, near the city’s anniversary. At the regional level, Ordinance 011-2023-GORE-ICA established October 4 as the Day of the Teja Iqueña and its derivatives. On the anniversary, the city usually prepares a giant chocoteja in the Plaza de Armas.
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Where it comes from
Ica , Ica
The municipal government of Ica recognized the teja and the chocoteja as culinary heritage of the province.
Ingredients
Manjar blanco; filling of candied lemon, fig or orange, or pecan; fondant coating (teja) or chocolate coating (chocoteja).
How it is eaten
By hand, like a bonbon, alone or with coffee.
When it is eaten
All year round; the Day of the Teja and the Chocoteja Iqueña is June 15.
Your questions
Questions about Teja
What is the teja of Ica?
A manjar blanco bonbon with a filling of candied fruit or pecan, covered in fondant. The chocoteja is the chocolate version.
What is the difference between teja and chocoteja?
The teja has a white fondant coating; the chocoteja a chocolate coating. The filling is the same type: manjar blanco with candied fruit or pecan.
When is Teja Day in Ica?
On June 15, a date created by the Municipalidad Provincial de Ica, near the city’s anniversary.
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