Free Slurpy Day Inspires Our “What’s Your Favorite Raspa Flavor?” Unofficial Survey
10 July 2009, 4:45 PM. By Cindy Casares
Whether you call it a snowcone, raspado, piragua, raspa or any other variation, shaved ice covered in syrup is, without a doubt, our favorite summertime treat and tomorrow’s Free Slurpy Day has turned our thoughts to them. In Mexico and South Texas (where your editor is from) we call them raspas and, down in Brownsville, Texas, a chain called Mr. G’s Snow Whiz elevated the raspa to new levels of culinary excellence in the early 1980’s by taking the New Orleans penchant for powdered, snow-like ice and drowning it (seriously, you eat it with one of those straw/spoons. A stroon?) in natural flavors. The natural part being an influence of nearby Mexico whose traditional paletas, or popsicles, are always made of natural ingredients unlike those of their preservative loving neighbors to the north. Mr. G’s still sells raspas from trailers parked all over Brownsville, though on our last visit, we noticed the chain has been renamed Texas Mr. G’s, and has spawned hundreds of imitators. The original Mr. G’s menu contained no less than a couple dozen flavors, many of them coming from Mexico, like leche, (A syrup made from sweetened condensed milk that’s better than sex, fer realz), and tamarindo.
In New York City, piragua vendors, (so named because of their pyramid shaped ice), of Puerto Rican descent can be found on every corner in Alphabet City and uptown in Spanish Harlem and the Bronx. (According to this photo, they’ve been doing their thing in the city since at least 1920.) Our favorite flavor there has to be coco. Ditto for our favorite flavor of Coco Helado, a unique concoction born of Dominican heritage and seemingly unique to New York City–at least in the U.S. Coco Helado is more of a hybrid of Italian ice and snow cone and, contrary to the name, comes in a variety of tropical flavors. It’s sold from ice-cream freezers on wheels, and is also available in local supermarkets.
Of course, these are just the tip of the syrup covered iceberg. We want to know your favorite flavors and what unique spins local vendors put on the raspa in your neck of the woods. Tell us below so we can all think sweet, cool thoughts together.
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Tamarindo!
minutas!!!!
Rainbow, cause who can go with just one flavor?
Jamaica or limon for me please!
oh and Hawaii shave ice, on the North Shore in Oahu is the best. Lychee flavor!
Yum, lychee sounds divine.
have you ever had a lychee martini? So good!
Delicious!!!!!
I have indeed had a lychee martini. They’re amazing.
One place in Tucson calls them Sonoran Snoballs!
Mejores piraguas: Ponce, Puerto Rico - Sabor: frambuesa con tamarindo!!!!! Enough said.
Limon or Tamarindo! Yum!
I love leche which might have been obvious from the post and, seriously, if you guys are ever in the RGV, head over to Mr. G’s. You’ll be ruined for all other snowcones forever.
I’ll be back in the RGV in August and I will find this Mr. G if it’s the last thing I do!
piccadilly !! kool-aid, gummy bears, and pickles. only in the valley.
mmm MM!
piccadilly raspa sucks i tried it in mcallen.
RAINBOW! Because I’m greedy!
Dios mio de mi vida!
Such passion for a little paletita, but why not? It is simply a little taste of Mexican food genius on a stick.
My favorite? Creamy milk paletas studded all over with huge chunks of pecan. And mango paletas with a bit of chili powder on top!
La Mexican Food Diva
http://www.tazadechocolate.blogspot.com
the best are diablitos w/ chamoy. and they are called Yuki. ndejos
Just noticed this post. Please credit the painting, entitled “La Raspa” to Jesse Trevino. I think it’s 1982. Thanks!