Dried fruit
Huesillos (Chilean dried peaches)
Prunus persica
Concentrated, honeyed peach with an almond undertone from the stone, notes of honey and caramel from sun-drying and a gentle acidity that balances the syrup.
Aroma compounds
The volatile molecules behind its aroma. Each one adds a distinct note.
- γ-Decalactone ripe, creamy peach, the signature of the fruit
- Benzaldehyde bitter almond, released by the stone during cooking
- Linalool floral and fresh, more noticeable once the fruit is rehydrated
- (E)-2-Hexenal green and grassy, a memory of the fresh fruit
- Furaneol caramel and honey, formed as the sugars concentrate while drying
In the kitchen
Huesillos are whole peaches dried in the sun with their stone; as they dry they wrinkle, darken and concentrate their sugar. In Chile almost all their use comes down to one dish: mote con huesillo, the drink and dessert of the summer street carts, in which the huesillos are soaked overnight and then cooked in their own water with sugar or chancaca, a cinnamon stick and, in some homes, orange peel, until the fruit plumps up and the liquid turns into an amber syrup served very cold over wheat berries. On this site they appear in the mote con huesillo recipe, which details the soaking, the cooking and the syrup. Beyond that dish they are used as a winter compote, chopped into fillings for pan de pascua or kuchen, or poached in red wine with spices. The soaking water is never thrown away: it carries much of the flavour and is the base of the syrup.
- Cinnamon
- Wheat berries
- Chancaca
- Orange
- Cloves
- Red wine
How to choose, store and substitute it
How to choose it
Look for whole huesillos with the stone, amber to dark brown in colour and pliable in texture, giving a little when pressed without being damp or sticky. Very pale, bright orange ones usually carry sulphur (sulphites) to keep their colour; those dried without sulphur are darker and deeper in flavour, and are preferable where there is no allergy. Discard any with mould, a vinegary smell or insects in the bag. Allow one or two huesillos per glass of mote con huesillo; a kilo holds between 30 and 40 pieces depending on size.
How to store it
In an airtight jar or bag, in a cool, dry, dark place, they keep for 6 months to a year; in the fridge they last longer and do not attract pantry moths. If they harden too much they are still usable: they just need more hours of soaking. Once cooked in their syrup they keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days in a covered container, and the strained syrup for up to a week. They can also be frozen cooked, with their liquid, for up to 3 months.
What to use instead
- Dried peach halves (orejones, without stone): the same weight; they soak for less time and the syrup loses the almond note of the stone.
- Dried apricots: the same amount; more acidic and different in flavour, with a paler syrup.
- Very ripe fresh peaches poached in syrup: twice the weight, because they are not concentrated, and less sugar in the syrup.
- Drained tinned peaches: the same number of pieces, with no soaking and part of their juice used instead of sugar.
Frequently asked questions about huesillos (chilean dried peaches)
What are huesillos?
They are whole peaches sun-dried with their stone; the name comes precisely from that stone, hueso in Spanish. As they dehydrate they concentrate sugar and flavour, turn dark and wrinkled and keep for months. In Chile they are the ingredient that names mote con huesillo, the summer drink in which they are cooked in a cinnamon syrup and served cold with wheat berries, and they are bought loose at markets and supermarkets.
Why are huesillos soaked before cooking?
Because they are almost dry and need to take water back in order to swell and soften; cooked straight away they stay leathery and the syrup takes much longer to pick up flavour. The usual practice is to leave them overnight, 8 to 12 hours, covered in cold water, and then cook them in that same water, already perfumed and sweetened by the fruit. A short soak of 2 or 3 hours works, but the cooking should be extended.
Are they cooked with the stone or without it?
With the stone, always: that is how they come and how they are served, one or two whole in each glass. During cooking the stone gives an almond note that is part of the flavour of mote con huesillo, and it keeps the fruit whole so it does not fall apart. You eat around the stone with a spoon and leave it in the glass. For a more convenient dessert they can be stoned after cooking, never before.
How long does the syrup with the cooked huesillos keep?
In the fridge, in a covered container, 4 to 5 days with the fruit in it and up to a week for the syrup alone. It actually improves from one day to the next, because the fruit keeps absorbing the liquid and the syrup rounds out: the recipe recommends making it the day before. The wheat berries are kept separately, cooked and cold, and combined in the glass when serving so they do not overcook or cloud the syrup.
Huesillos or dried peach halves: what is the difference?
Huesillos are whole peaches dried with the stone; orejones are halves or wedges of peach or apricot that are stoned and dried, often with sulphur to keep a pale colour. For mote con huesillo the whole ones are traditional and give a darker syrup with an almond note; the halves work as a replacement in the same amount, with less soaking, but the result is closer to a compote.