ALBANY PARK — The hottest sweets of the summer are also the coolest.
Paletas — fresh fruit iced pops — are gaining in popularity among Chicagoans, and now they've earned their very own version of the pub crawl.
Albany Park Neighbors has organized a casual stroll that will make stops at a half-dozen of the neighborhood's paleterias from 5-7 p.m. Saturday.
The route begins at La Michoacana Premium, 3108 W. Lawrence Ave., and then travels west to Paleteria Reina de Sabores, 3015 W. Lawrence Ave., and Alaska Paleteria Y Neveria, 3209 W. Lawrence.
A quick detour along Kedzie will take folks to Fruityland, 4610 N. Kedzie Ave., and then it's back to Lawrence for a trip to Antojitos Magicos, 3540 W. Lawrence Ave.
The crawl finishes up at Paleteria La Plaza, 3818 W. Lawrence Ave.
Participants are expected to pay for their own treats, which cost just a few dollars.
Paletas are often compared with Popsicles, which, no offense to Popsicles, is like comparing a souffle to Jell-O pudding.
The iced pops are made from fresh fruit juice and are often studded with chunks of real fruit. Flavors stray way outside the grape/orange/cherry box: Common options are mango, pistachio, tamarind, watermelon, mamey and cucumber, with chile frequently added to spice things up.
To make paletas at home, check out these recipes.
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