In a hot country like Mexico, nothing beats the icy cold and pleasant dessert that soothes the throat and cools down the body. Mexico’s version of the snow cone, the raspado, is just such a dessert.
It’s popular not only throughout Mexico, but also in many U.S. cities that have large populations of Mexican immigrants. The term “raspado” comes from the Spanish word meaning “to scrape”. Traditionally shaved or scraped by hand using a locally-made tool called “raspador,” raspados are most often served in a plastic cup with a straw for slurping, rather than with a spoon. The hand scraped ice is topped with fresh fruit, syrup, and milk, with the most common flavors including tamarind and rompope (eggnog).
Raspados are a delectable dessert that can effortlessly beat the Central and South American summer heat. Although raspados originated in Mexico, very similar desserts are also popular in Cuba (they’re called granizado there) and other Latin American countries, such as Colombia (where they’re called cholado).
If you’re a real raspador lover and want to learn how to shave ice by hand using a raspador, check out our article on shaving ice by hand.
