King Kong de manjarblanco | Eating Peruvian Dessert

With mere hours ticking down on our time in Lima, Peru we scrambled to try a few more Peruvian desserts. For this particular taste test, we tried King Kong! Say, what? King Kong, consisting of three layers of hard cookies filled with manjar blanco, pineapple jam and peanut spread, is one behemoth of a dessert. Originating from Lambayeque and mass produced by companies such as San Roque it typically comes in a 1.5 kilogram brick. Come find out our review of this unique treat by clicking play.
Eating King Kong de manjarblanco in Lima, Peru | Peruvian Dessert Food Video Transcript:
What do we have here? Well, it's time for another taste test. And the dog Maki seems rather interested.
So I've got a bit of a raspy voice going on but that is not going to stop me from trying some sweets. So today for our taste test we've having some called King Kong.
I've never had this before but just by reading the box it looks like it is cookies filled with Manjar de blanco which is like that brown milk caramel, some kind of pineapple marmalade or pineapple sweet and then peanuts. So, a massive dessert. I think that is how it gets the name King Kong. And we're going to be trying it. And the dog Maki also wants some. You want some too Maki? You want some too?
So, I'm sure you can buy this homemade but we've got the packaged variety over here. Someone in the family already dug in. But this is basically what it looks like. And we've got someone else in the family who wants some more. Yes, a big block of cake. That is what it looks like. That is massive. Let's hope we can get some before the dog takes it all. No, Maki.
Alright, and this is a slice of the cake. And I have to say it is massive. Let's get a closeup. Absolutely, massive. That is why we couldn't just take it out of the box and start gnawing on it. It was just like a big brick. So here is my slice of the brick. And you can see all of the different layers here. If you take a really good close-up look. So it looks like we have three different layers.
So how do I even attempt this? I'm just going to take maybe one big bite. Woah. Or the dog beats you to it.
Wow. There is a lot of competing flavors going on all at once. I do taste the pineapple, I taste something that is a little bit like date sugar or cane sugar and also something that is a little bit like dulce de leche too. Oh, you poor baby. You want some. Well, too bad.
Just wait. Owe. This is a seriously delicious treat and I think that the dog is going to gnaw my arm off.
Alright, now it is my turn. Let's see. Okay, so that was the pineapple side. Yes, Maki. Yes. Yes, it smells good. Doesn't it? Okay, middle part. Okay. I think I like the middle filling a little better - Manjarblanco.
Now let's see - the third one. I have no idea what the dark one is. It said something about peanuts but it doesn't look like peanuts to me but let's read the box again.
So yeah, according to the box the darker one should be peanut because here we've got the pineapple, then we've got the manjarblanco and all that is left is the mani. So, yes. Mysterious.
So for you how does that compare to some of the other Peruvian desserts we've been having? Um, well honestly I think I would probably like this a lot better if it were fresh and homemade. And without a dog trying to devour it. Maki, Maki could probably eat it regardless even if it were stale, wouldn't you baby? You'd eat anything wouldn't you? You'd eat anything.
But yeah, the cookie is a little harder so I'm not sure if that is because it is prepackaged or if that is just the way it is made. Whether it is supposed to be a harder crumbly cookie. Um, but yeah I mean it is sweet. If you have a sweet tooth you'll probably enjoy it. It is not my favorite but it is not bad either, so maybe try some King Kong when you're in Peru. Okay baby, we'll give you a little piece. Let's give you a tiny one. Okay, let's just give you a crumb Maki. That is all I can break off. Oh, Maki approves. Yes.
Oh, no! He's got lipstick on his face now. Hahaha!
Oh, poor dog.
This is part of our Travel in Peru series. We're making a series of videos showcasing Peruvian culture, Peruvian arts, Peruvian foods, Peruvian religion, Peruvian cuisine and Peruvian people. All things Peruano. The best of Comida Peruana.
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All photos and video taken by Samuel Jeffery (Nomadic Samuel) and Audrey Bergner (That Backpacker).
Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network