{"id":8573,"date":"2026-10-26T18:39:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T09:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8573"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:51:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:51:24","slug":"king-kong","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/king-kong\/","title":{"rendered":"King Kong"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

King Kong is a large layered sweet associated with Lambayeque in northern Peru. Between layers of baked, biscuit-like dough, fillings are stacked, such as manjar blanco made by cooking down milk and sugar, a sweet pineapple filling and a peanut filling. It shares its name with the film, but its structure becomes easier to understand when you see it as a large alfajor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When the thick block is cut, pale baked layers and several fillings appear in alternation. Rather than being decorated on the outside with cream, the sweet takes its appearance from its internal layers. The richness of milk, sweetness accompanied by fruity tartness and the flavor of nuts can all be enjoyed in a single slice.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Schematic diagram showing the composition of a version using three fillings: manjar blanco, pineapple and peanut. The number of layers, thickness and order are illustrative and are not the design of any specific product. Source<\/a>. Diagram: Sweetlore.<\/p>\n

Structured like a large alfajor<\/h2>\n

An alfajor is a sweet in which baked dough sandwiches a sweet filling. King Kong is known as an enlarged version of this composition with several fillings stacked. Many products are rectangular, but there are also round ones, and the size and number of layers are not fixed by any single standard.<\/p>\n

Manjar blanco is a sweet paste made by cooking down milk and sugar. This thick, sticky filling is spread between the baked layers, and fruit is also layered in, cooked with sugar. When the sweet is cut, the pale milk layers and the fruit or nut fillings appear in cross-section.<\/p>\n

Filling combinations differ by product: manjar blanco alone, milk and pineapple, or three fillings. Some products also combine passion fruit, lucuma, cherimoya and others. Even under the same name, the fillings come in many combinations.<\/p>\n

\n\"A\n
A bar-shaped King Kong filled with manjar blanco (June 14, 2019). Baked dough and milk filling are layered at the cut face. Photo: MiguelAlanCS \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Reduced version obtained from Commons. Content not altered or cropped.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

A sweet named after a film<\/h2>\n

The sweet\u2019s name is said to come from likening its size and hefty form to the giant gorilla of the film. According to the history of the long-established San Roque, Victoria Mej\u00eda de Garc\u00eda and her fellow women made sweets on San Roque Street in Lambayeque in the 1920s to raise funds to support elderly people in need.<\/p>\n

According to the company\u2019s history, in 1933, when the film King Kong was shown, local residents began calling the sweet by the same name as the film. By this account, large sweets made by the women were already being sold in the town before the film\u2019s name was given to them.<\/p>\n

Later, Victoria\u2019s daughter Perpetua took over the family business, and in 1970 production moved to a dedicated factory. Factory production developed in this way, and today King Kong has become widespread as a Lambayeque sweet made by multiple producers.<\/p>\n

\n\"Cross-section\n
A Lambayeque King Kong layered with three flavors (February 9, 2018). The layers of differently flavored fillings can be compared in the cross-section. Photo: Miguel Alan C\u00f3rdova Silva \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Reduced version obtained from Commons. Content not altered or cropped.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

A sweet for cutting and sharing, and a regional festival<\/h2>\n

Large packaged products and small, easy-to-carry bars are the same layered sweet made in different sizes. It can be cut up at home or given as a gift or travel souvenir. Even as individually wrapped products increase, the layers in the cross-section remain the defining feature of the sweet.<\/p>\n

In Lambayeque, an event themed on King Kong is held in late July, during the period around Independence Day. A producers\u2019 association works with the municipality and others to hold production demonstrations, sales and the making of a giant sweet. The sweet\u2019s nature as one large piece made jointly, then cut and shared, also carries over into the festival\u2019s events.<\/p>\n

At the 2024 event, 39 people from 19 brands took part in making a King Kong weighing 1,250 kilograms, which was then cut and shared. According to the regional government\u2019s report on the day, there were 640 sheets of baked dough and three fillings: manjar blanco, pineapple, and chancaca with peanut. The sweet that each shop sells separately becomes, at this event, a large stack built by multiple makers together and shared with visitors.<\/p>\n

\n\"A\n
A three-flavor King Kong recorded as a sweet from San Roque in Chiclayo (June 11, 2019). The form in which it is offered, wrapped as a large block, can be seen. Photo: MiguelAlanCS \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Reduced version obtained from Commons. Content not altered or cropped.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Alfajor<\/strong>: A sweet in which baked dough sandwiches a sweet filling. The dough, filling and shape vary by region.<\/p>

Manjar blanco<\/strong>: A sweet filling made by cooking down milk and sugar.<\/p>

Victoria Mej\u00eda de Garc\u00eda<\/strong>: The woman at the center of sweet-making in the 1920s, according to the history recounted by San Roque.<\/p>

San Roque<\/strong>: A producer of Lambayeque King Kong. This article treats the general history of the sweet and the company\u2019s own history separately.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n
  1. \n

    Regional Government of Lambayeque, \u201cFeria del King Kong 2024,\u201d August 4, 2024<\/a> \u2014 The regional government\u2019s report on the day, read in full in Chrome. 1,250 kilograms, 39 people from 19 brands, 640 sheets of baked dough and three fillings. The article\u2019s \u201cnew record\u201d is not to be read as a world record.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  2. \n

    San Roque company history<\/a> \u2014 The charitable work, naming, succession and move to a factory as recounted by San Roque.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  3. \n

    Peruvian Ministry of Tourism, Lambayeque festival<\/a> \u2014 The Lambayeque festival, the producers\u2019 association and production demonstrations.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  4. \n

    Productos Lambayecano, \u201cNuestros Productos\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The company\u2019s product examples: manjar only, with pineapple, three fillings and fruit flavors.<\/p>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    King Kong is a large layered sweet associated with Lambayeque in northern Peru. Between layers of baked, biscuit-like dough, fillings are stacked, such as manjar blanco made by cooking down milk and sugar, a sweet pineapple filling and a peanut filling. It shares its name with the film, but the sweet\u2019s structure becomes easier to understand when you see it as a large alfajor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7729,"menu_order":344,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"King Kong","subtitle":"A large Peruvian sweet layered with milk, pineapple and peanut","topics":"Stacked layers of biscuit-like dough \/ Milk filling and pineapple sweetness \/ A large souvenir sweet from northern Peru","country":"Lambayeque, Peru","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["fruit","nuts","grain"],"texture":[],"occasion":[],"method":["baked"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[151],"class_list":["post-8573","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t