helado
standard
The standard word for ice cream in Puerto Rico is helado. Many Puerto Ricans also say mantecado, which is the name for the ice cream itself or for vanilla ice cream. It is also called Piragua.
Meaning: frozen creamy dessert (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| helado | standard |
| Mantecado | Puerto Rico, vanilla |
| Piragua | shaved ice |
Ask for un helado in any shop. At a stand, un mantecado is the classic order, and flavors follow with de: helado de coco, helado de chocolate.
Which one should you use?
Piragua is not ice cream. It is shaved ice with fruit syrup, sold from carts on the street.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Mantecado is much more common in Puerto Rico than in Mexico or Spain, where people use helado almost everywhere.
Did you know?
- The word mantecado comes from manteca, meaning fat or butter, which was an old ingredient in this kind of ice cream.
Examples in context
- ¿Me das un mantecado?Can you give me a vanilla ice cream?
- Los niños piden helado todos los domingos.The kids ask for ice cream every Sunday.
Example conversation
Mateo and his daughter Sofía stop at an ice cream stand in Old San Juan.
- SofíaPapi, quiero un helado de coco.Dad, I want a coconut ice cream.
- MateoBueno. Yo voy a pedir un mantecado.Okay. I will order a vanilla one.
- SofíaGracias, papi. Está bien rico.Thanks, dad. It is really tasty.
