History

The camote is the reason Avenida 6 Oriente is called the Calle de los Dulces. La Gran Fama opened there in the 19th century as the first camote counter in the city and is still trading opposite the ex-convent of Santa Clara, which is where much of the Puebla sweet tradition began. The method is simple and has not changed: sweet potato is cooked down with sugar until it forms a stiff paste, flavoured with fruit essence, coloured, rolled into cylinders and wrapped. Pineapple, strawberry, guava and coconut are the standard flavours, sold by the box.

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Make it at home

Yield Makes about 20Hands-on 40 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1kg orange sweet potato
  • 600g caster sugar
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tsp fruit essence such as pineapple or strawberry
  • A few drops of food colouring, optional
  • Wax paper for wrapping

Method

  1. Boil the sweet potatoes whole in their skins for about forty minutes until completely soft, then peel while warm.
  2. Push the flesh through a sieve so no fibres remain.
  3. Cook the purée with the sugar and lime juice in a heavy pan over low heat, stirring constantly for twenty-five minutes.
  4. The paste is ready when it pulls cleanly away from the base of the pan and holds a line drawn with the spoon.
  5. Stir in the essence and colouring, then spread on a tray and cool for two hours.
  6. Roll walnut-sized pieces into slim cylinders about eight centimetres long and twist each one into wax paper.

Tip from the editors. Stop cooking the moment the paste leaves the pan base. Two minutes past that and the camotes set hard instead of staying fudgy.

Where to eat camotes poblanos

Camotes poblanos in Puebla

La Gran Fama ★ 4.3

$ BakeryTraditional Puebla sweetsCentro HistoricoWalk-in only

La Gran Fama opened on the Calle de los Dulces in Puebla in the 19th century as the city's first camote counter, still selling tortitas de Santa Clara.

Worth the queueCamote

TipOpened in the 19th century as the first camote counter in the city, and the tortitas de Santa Clara are the other thing to buy.

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