Fresh Fruit Paletas (Popsicles) a Favorite Thing in Puerto Vallarta Shannon Beston - Beston Properties
go to original July 12, 2014

A Paleta is a Popsicle in Spanish, however in Mexico the Popsicle is raised to an entire new gourmet level. They are made with real fresh fruit when in season, with pieces of fresh fruit in the Paleta. A fresh Mango Paleta is something you will not forget. However the flavor options range – Avocado, watermelon, Gauva is another like fresh Mango that is a flavor you will dream of. There is also Coconut with ground coconut in the frozen Paleta.

For many years I heard stories of the wonderful homemade fresh Ice Cream from a small interior town called Dolores Hidalgo. A good friend who enjoyed Travel with a capital T, meaning a car or bus trip where you got to appreciate all the details of a destination, told amazing stories of the Avocado Ice Cream sold only along the main place in Dolores Hidalgo, the creamy smoothness was like nothing you had ever known, the subtle flavor was like a song on your tongue. Like your first love you would never forget your first taste of Avocado Ice Cream. She also told of many exotic and or bizarre flavors – from Nopal Cactus to Pork Rind. She was a good story teller so you could almost hear the ringing of the bells of the ice cream vendors. After many years we took a road trip together and with much anticipation arrived at Dolores Hidalgo, we approached the main plaza and my friend got her Avocado Ice Cream and turned to me with a face full of anticipation. “What flavor do you want?” she asked there was a pause and a hush fell over the plaza……When I ordered Vanilla – my friend actually screamed and slapped me.

Please see below other articles and musings about hot weather and an icy cold Paleta:

Rick Bayless - It’s summer, I’m writing these words sitting in the backyard, and I can hear the bells of the paletero jingling in front of the school next door, reminding the kids that he has sweet frozen fruit on sticks — from guanabana and papaya to coconut and tamarind — for an afternoon treat. These coarse fruit purees frozen into slabs are as refreshing and healthy as any snack. Frozen tropical fruit purees are available in Mexican grocery stores or, even better, make them from fresh fruit. Given that there are several versions of molds available from discount department and cookware stores, you’ll be able to make these frozen fruit pops easily at home. Lacking them, partially freeze fruit purees in small paper cups, then stand up wooden sticks (available at craft stores) in them (for added support lay a piece of cardboard over them with holes to support the sticks). A variety of flavors is great for a party. You may even want to include this year’s new sensation — cucumber with sugar, salt and hot chile powder.

In Mexico, almost every child grows up eating Paletas, frozen fruit bars, popsicles made from fresh seasonal fruit. The fruit is sometimes blended with milk or cream to create paletas de leche, or milk Popsicles, and sometimes it’s just puréed with sugar. These are known as paletas de agua, or water Popsicles. Traditional popular flavors include watermelon, cantaloupe, and lime, from a website called Diana Desserts.

The LA Times website writes A paleta is, ostensibly, an ice pop. One made in-store and by hand, using recipes guarded like family jewels, in flavors carried over from Mexican favorites: ciruela pasa (prune), grosella (currant), guanabana (soursop), guayaba (guava), jamaica (hibiscus), nuez (walnut), pepino con chile (cucumbers with chile) and tamarindo (tamarind). Yes, a paleta is an ice pop, in the same way that a square is a rectangle, which is to say it’s frozen and has a stick. But "ice pop," so often comprised of frozen water and various flavored corn-syrups, doesn’t quite capture the essence of paleta, its sense of color and tradition and its distinct flavor — like that of summer in Los Angeles.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - I also found a charming website called Helados Mexico translation Mexican Ice Cream. Paletas (päh-leh-tähs) are premium frozen treats made with real fruit and cream, typically sold by street vendors with pushcarts. A refreshing favorite in many Hispanic countries, the paleta is shaped similar to frozen fruit bars, but that’s where the similarity ends.

Shannon Beston is owner of Beston Properties in Puerto Vallarta. If you have never rented a private vacation villa before you will never want to stay in a hotel again. A luxury villa with staff offers all the service of a hotel with privacy, if you want music there is music, if you want to eat breakfast in your pajamas it is your house. For more information about renting a luxury villa or private home or assistance planning your vacation or next getaway or Mexican holiday please contact us at Beston Properties, we offer the finest Luxury Villa Vacation Rental Accommodations in the Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita area.