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What to eat in South America? Top 5 South American Cookies

Last update: Tue Apr 15 2025
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ARGENTINA and  one more region
4.4
Alfajores
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Argentinian alfajores are sandwich cookies consisting of two round, crumbly sweet cookies with a dulce de leche or milk jam stuffing between them. The combination is then coated with a layer of chocolate or sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.


The name alfajor stems from the Arabic word al-hasú, which means stuffed or filled. Although the cookies can be found throughout Latin America, they are originally from Andalusia, Spain. When the Spaniards came to America, they brought their foods and traditions along the way, and with time, almost every country in Latin America has adapted the Spanish alfajor to make it their own. 

MOST ICONIC Alfajores

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Casadinhos are traditional bite-sized cookies originating from Brazil, where they're a staple at weddings because the name of these cookies means married in Portuguese. The cookies are usually made with a simple combination of butter, flour, eggs, and sugar, while lemon zest and vanilla can be used for extra flavor.


Pieces of dough are rolled into little balls that are slightly flattened and baked until golden. The cookies are then traditionally filled with either dulce de leche or guava paste (the filling is sandwiched between two flat, often heart-shaped cookies).

03

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MINAS GERAIS, Brazil
3.7
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Biscoito de polvilho is a traditional, starchy, salted cookie from Brazil. The cookies are characterized by their round, puffy shape and a crispy exterior. The word from its name, polvilho, is derived from the Latin word pulvis and the Spanish polvillo, meaning fine powder, referring to the sour cassava starch, a key ingredient used in the preparation of these snacks.


Biscoito de polvilho can be traced back to the 18th century, when it was prepared on farms in the state of Minas Gerais and served to the plantation owners along with cheese and coffee as an afternoon snack. Due to their unique flavor and airy texture, the cookies are so popular in Brazil that they can even be found at most supermarkets, or bought from numerous beach food vendors.

MOST ICONIC Biscoito de polvilho

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Sequilhos are traditional Brazilian cookies made with a combination of cornstarch, baking powder, butter, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Once the dough becomes stiff, it is rolled into balls which are slightly flattened with a fork, giving them a decorative pattern in the process.


After they have been baked, these light cookies can be consumed as they are or paired with fruit, custard, or ice cream.

MOST ICONIC Sequilhos

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PERNAMBUCO, Brazil
3.5
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Brazilian hard biscuits known as tarecos are simple cookies consisting of wheat or corn flour, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. They originated in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, but have since spread and gained popularity throughout Brazil so much that a Brazilian singer Flávio José titled one of his songs Tareco e Mariola.

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South American Cookies