paleta / pah-LEH-tah
The quintessential street-food dessert, paletas are the Mexican take on a popsicle. Most of them have the same shape — basically a rectangle of frozen goodness on a stick. There are two different types: water-based (usually heavily loaded with fruit) and milk-based (with more traditional ice-cream sort of flavors — chocolate, vanilla, etc.) They’re a great showcase of traditional Mexican flavors like tamarind, mango, horchata, or guanabana. And on a hot day, waiting in line for beer, they certainly take the sting out of losing your shady spot under the tree.