Bolivia's classic cinnamon water-ice — an old Andean street treat. Water is steeped with cinnamon sticks (and often cloves), sweetened, thickened with a touch of cornstarch and brightened with lemon, then frozen and scraped into a light, translucent sorbet. Dairy-free, its texture sits between a granita and a soft sorbet — crystalline and slushy on the tongue. Sold from market stalls and plazas, most of all in La Paz, Oruro and Cochabamba.
An Andean highland ice that emerged in Bolivia around 1920, its origin still disputed between La Paz and Oruro; early on it was frozen using natural ice hauled down from the glaciers of La Cumbre and Chacaltaya, packed with salt. Traditionally it is not churned in a copper basin but spun and scraped by hand in a barrel of mara wood set over salted crushed ice (sometimes tinted red with airampo, a native cactus seed). Historically eaten with peanuts or pasankalla (puffed corn), today it is often paired with a cheese empanada. In 2012 La Paz declared it cultural heritage by Law 026, and Oruro recognizes it as departmental intangible culinary heritage.
Clean, icy and intensely aromatic, with warm cinnamon spice cutting through bright, lemony sweetness. The texture is somewhere between a granita and a soft sorbet — light and slushy on the tongue. A perfect cooling palate-cleanser after a rich Bolivian meal.
Steeping cinnamon in hot water extracts its aromatic oils, and a small amount of cornstarch interferes with ice-crystal growth so the sorbet freezes softer and smoother rather than into a solid block. Lemon's acidity balances the sweetness. The barrel is spun over salted ice — the salt drops the ice's melting point below 0°C, drawing heat out fast enough to freeze the syrup, which is scraped as it sets.
Variations
Served with a cheese empanada on the side (a La Paz tradition), or made with cloves added; historically eaten with peanuts or pasankalla. Served as a softer slush or frozen firmer into a scoop.
On the Palate
Where Helado de Canela sits in the Bolivian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
8 steps · 10 min
- 112 min
Bring water to a boil with the cinnamon sticks and let them steep into a fragrant infusion.
- 23 min
Stir in the sugar until fully dissolved.
- 33 min
Slacken cornstarch in a little cold water, then whisk it into the hot cinnamon liquid.
- 45 min
Simmer briefly until the mixture thickens very slightly, then remove from the heat.
Watch outPull it off the heat the instant it thickens just enough to coat the spoon — overcook it and it turns pasty and the finished ice freezes gummy.
- 55 min
Stir in fresh lemon juice and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
- 63 min
Strain out the cinnamon sticks and pour into a shallow freezer-safe pan.
- 7240 min
Freeze, stirring or scraping every half hour, until it sets into a smooth, scoopable ice.
Watch outScrape and stir every half hour without fail — skip it and it sets into one solid icy block instead of a soft, spoonable slush.
- 82 min
Scrape into chilled glasses and serve immediately.
