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Papelón con limón
Venezuelan iced panela and lime drink
Papelón con limón is the cold drink of Venezuela, served in jugs alongside arepas, empanadas and every Sunday lunch, and sold by the glass from street stalls in the heat of Maracaibo and the plains. Papelón is the Venezuelan name for panela, the dark block of unrefined cane sugar; melted into water and mixed with lots of fresh lime, it tastes like a caramel-scented lemonade. The hot Colombian cousin is aguapanela. Chef's tip: dissolve the papelón in warm water first, then chill; it never fully dissolves in cold water and leaves grains at the bottom.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Stir 7 oz papelón (panela) or dark muscovado sugar into 2 cups warm water in a jug or pan over a low heat until completely dissolved and the liquid is clear and dark, 5 minutes.
5 minStep 2: Pour in 4 ¼ cups cold water and ½ cup lime juice and stir well. Taste and add more lime or water as you like. The common mistake is squeezing the limes hours ahead: the juice turns bitter, so add it shortly before serving.
Step 3: Fill glasses with 2 cups ice cubes, pour over and garnish with 6 lime slices.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does papelón con limón take?
- About 10 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of lime juice?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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