Festivals, Sacred Rituals, Religion,  Food & Dining

Thank You, Lord of the Miraculous Chocolates

I was raving the other day about the chocolates and other treats made by nuns and sold at the church of the Nazarenes, in downtown Lima, where El Señor de los Milagros lives.

I made myself so hungry writing that post, I had to go to the Nazarenes the next day and buy a stash from a nun in a brown Carmelitas habit.  I’m not Catholic but I felt guilty going to church just to buy candy, so I picked up a purple religious candle while I was at it.

Back home I lit the candle and said, Thank you, El Señor de los Milagros, for inspiring the barefoot sisters of Mt. Carmel to devote themselves body and soul to the art of fine chocolate making.

I took a photo of my loot before I ate more than half of it in one sitting.

Those are chocolate-covered alfajores (with colored sprinkles) in the foreground; a lemon teja (sugared shell stuffed with manjar blanco) on the left (wrapped in white tissue); a slab of turrón de Doña Pepa in the background; individually wrapped chocolate truffles (by the candle); and chocolate-covered marshmallows (right).

Peruvians snack on traditional goodies like these all month long during Mes Morado. Maybe that’s why Halloween is only beginning to catch on as a holiday, and lots of Peruvians don’t bother celebrating it. They’re all candied out by the time October 31 arrives.

I am an American writer who lived in Lima for seven years (2007-2014), where I covered Andean traditions, melting glaciers and daily life in the capital for Miami Herald, MSNBC and Huffington Post. I now live and work in northern Florida where I champion climate change advocacy and compassionate, affordable eldercare.

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