A Rainbow of Cool Colombian Helados

Looking for summer refreshment with a tropical twist? Stop in to Somerville’s Union Market for a rainbow of cool Colombian popsicles from Helados Juli’s.

Hand-crafted in East Boston, the treats come in a variety of flavors: passionfruit, pineapple, green mango, coconut, blackberry, milk caramel, strawberry-and-cream, and cookies-and-cream.

Enclosed in plastic cups, their simple aesthetic shows their home-style Colombian heritage. Their plain packaging disguises, though, their luxurious freshness. Made primarily from fruit purees – instead of from extracts – each offers a lush, crystalline texture. Many of the pops contain sugar cane, perhaps explaining their toothsome feel.

My personal favorite: coconut. Made from coconut milk, milk, sugar, and coconut flavor, its mélange of coconut flakes and icy creaminess delighted my senses. A generous dollop of guava paste lent a sense of surprising novelty, too. Similarly, other flavors include little extras, too: milk caramel has raisins, and green mango has slivers of mango.

To learn more, I visited Helados Juli’s, near the Airport MBTA Station. A friendly, family-owned shop, it serves a steady stream of locals. There, you’ll find not only popsicles and other snacks, but also a full array of ice creams, shaved ice, and deluxe dessert
ensembles. For example, the Mangonada features Valentina hot sauce, Chamoy sauce and Chile Tajin seasoning blended with mango puree and topped with fresh shredded mango and a tamarind stick.

Manager María Isabel tells me that the popsicles are meant to be enjoyed as they are, but I couldn’t resist adding some shaved chocolate to mine (though they really don’t need it). In my kitchen, Helados Juli’s from Union Market are a new no-bake dessert,
perfect for a dinner party on a hot summer night — or any time, really!

Available at:
Union Market, 29 Union Square, Somerville, 02143
With foods from Peru and Central and South America, Union Market is located in the heart of Union Square, with a cooler filled with Helados Juli’s.

La Internacional, 318 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA 02143
This Guatemalan market is also the place to go for authentic tortillas, queso fresco and crema, as well as Salvadoran products like flor de izote and loroco, and Haitian items, like rare djon djon mushrooms, yams, yucca and drinks like cornmeal-based Akasan.