Restaurante Machuquita

Queso Helado May Be Peru's Most Iconic Dessert

"Machuca is a small market restaurant located in Mercado San Camilo, Arequipa, Peru. It is renowned for its handmade queso helado, a traditional dessert of the region. Angelica Machuca Velazquez, who runs the place, continues the family tradition of making queso helado, which her grandparents started 90 years ago. The dessert is unique as it contains no actual cheese or cream, comprising fresh cow’s milk, condensed milk, dried coconut, vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon. The preparation is labor-intensive, involving boiling the milk and mixing it with other ingredients before chilling it in a metal bowl over ice to create layers resembling cheese ice cream." - Lauren Breedlove