Helados De Paila

Location:
Ecuador

ice cream, handmade, fruit

Add a scoop of Ecuador's Helado de Paila (“kettle ice cream”) to the likes of Italy's gelato and Argentina's helado. This hand-made ice cream, made with all natural ingredients, has been the tastiest cure for a hot Ecuadorian day for nearly a century.

Helado de Paila is prepared by combining fruit juice from concentrate, sugar, egg whites and ice in a copper kettle, resembling a wok. The kettle sits atop a bed of straw, chopped ice and salt, which cools the kettle and slowly freezes the ingredients, which are stirred with a wooden paddle until they thicken. Helado de Paila, which comes from Ibarra, covers a range of flavors, from the typical–strawberry, chocolate, coconut, mango and pineapple, to the more unique–mora, guanábana, naranjilla, tamarindo, and borojó.

There are many places in and around Quito where you can try this cool, sweet treat. Helado de Paila is available in heladerías, from stands in city parks and at the Mercado Artesanal, where you can hang out by the kettle and watch your favorite flavor come to life. There are also countless shops at the Mitad del Mundo. The smooth dessert has a sherbet-like texture, and is sold by the liter, the cups and cone, and even banana split.