Cascos de Limón: Colombian Candied Lime Hulls

Receta de Cascos de limón. Foto: Mantequiando con Adriana.

Cascos de Limón (Candied Lime Hulls) is a fascinating, deeply traditional sweet widely popular in the Boyacá and Cundinamarca departments of Colombia. By carefully removing the bitterness from citrus peels and slow-cooking them in a rich syrup, this recipe gives an entirely new, sweet purpose to sharp, acidic limes.

The secret to this 2-hour recipe is lightly grating the outer skin and pre-boiling the hollowed lime halves to ensure they become perfectly tender before candying them in sugar. It is a foolproof, impressive dessert that requires a bit of patience but delivers an extraordinary, aromatic flavor!

Lemon wedges Colombian recipe (Cascos de limón)

Cascos de Limón (Candied Lime Hulls)

A deeply traditional Colombian sweet! Hollowed lime halves grated, boiled, and slowly candied in a rich sugar syrup.

Pin Receta

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 10

Course Dessert / Sweets

Cuisine Andean, Colombian, Latin American

Servings 12 people

Ingredients

20 Limes
1 Liter Water
1.5 lbs Sugar
Cinnamon Optional
Cloves Optional

Instructions

Prep the limes: The very first step is to cut all the limes exactly in half. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out and discard all of the inner acidic pulp, leaving only the empty green hulls (cascos).
Remove the bitterness: Traditionally using a rough clay tile (or simply using a standard kitchen grater), lightly grate the outer skin of the lime halves to remove a layer of their strong, bitter oils.
Boil until tender: Place the grated lime hulls into a cooking pot, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Boil them until the peels become completely soft and tender. Once ready, remove them from the water and let them drain thoroughly.
Candy the hulls: In a traditional copper pan (or a standard heavy pot), combine the 1 liter of water with the sugar. Add the drained lime hulls and let them slow-cook (calar) over low heat. (Chef's Hack: During this final step, you can optionally add cinnamon and cloves to beautifully spice the syrup). Let them simmer until the syrup thickens and the limes reach your desired candied point.

Notes

Alternative Names: Because the primary culinary technique involves removing the bitter oils from the citrus, this specific dessert is also widely known across the country as Desamargado de Limón.
Holiday Traditions: While heavily rooted in the high-altitude Andean departments, this sweet is also extremely popular in the Valle del Cauca, where it is primarily prepared and consumed during the Christmas season.
Coastal Connection: Right here in our very own department of Bolívar, specifically in the beautiful town of Mompox, there is a very similar, highly celebrated regional variation known as Dulce de Limón de Mompox.