Pio V / Pio Quinto

Pio V is a dessert served on special occasions, most notably at Christmas. Its exact origin is unknown, but it is thought to have been named after Pope Pius V by Dona Juana Lazo de Figueroa.

This was the name of the Spanish chef tasked with creating a dessert to impress Nicaragua's newly appointed Governor, Don Alonso de Casaos, in León in December 1566.

She was able to combine native ingredients with recipes from the "Old World" in such a way that Pio V is still one of Nicaraguan cuisine's most popular desserts to this day.

The dish is made up of three components that have been thoughtfully combined to provide an extraordinary contrast of flavors and textures: a soft sponge cake called marquesote, an alcoholic syrup called miel or sopa borracha (literally drunken soup, given the presence of rum), and a Spanish natilla-inspired custard cream (manjar or atol) that will only reach the right thickness with the addition of corn starch.

This magnificent dessert is finished with a sprinkling of cinnamon, and raisins and dried prunes soaked in local rum are frequently added to the recipe for flavor and decadence.