Paleta Season Is Upon Us

Photo by Tony Valainis

Mexican ice cream shops are the unsung heroes of warm-weather treats, and most dedicate an entire deep freeze to colorful rows of plastic-sheathed paletas—fat Mexican ice pops like these gems from Indy’s Delicias Jalisco and Alpha Neveria & Tamales. Unlike sugary American popsicles, paletas come in a prism of dense, complex flavors like guanabana (made from the tropical fruit that has notes of apple, pineapple, and banana); horchata with a silky, cinnamon melting point embedded with chewy bits of rice; tamarind-spiked mangonada frozen around a slice of mango; and chunky passion fruit that tastes like summer on a stick.