Latin American popsicles are a well kept secret, but they've started to catch on north of the border. Their claim to fame is the wide variety of interesting flavors - think tamarind, avocado, chirimoya, lucuma, passionfruit, and papaya. I predict that these exotic popsicles will be flying out of gourmet food trucks this summer in places like San Francisco and New York.

There are some great Spanish words for popsicle - chupetin, chupete, palitos, and my favorite - chupa chup (named for a popular Spanish lollipop brand).

Read more about Latin American popsicles here...

Paletas- Mexican Popsicle Recipes
Las Paletas Gourmet - Nashville

At this time of year in Latin America, the traditional beef, pork, and chicken empanadas take a back seat, and vegetarian empanadas make a rare appearance.  Many people avoid eating meat during Semana Santa (the week leading up to Easter), and so these empanadas are known as empanadas de vigilia (Lenten empanadas).  Seafood fillings, popular year round, are also enjoyed during Lent.

Chilean-style Fried Cheese Empanadas -Empanadas Fritas de Queso
Spinach and Cheese Empanadas
Sweet Potato Empanadas
Shrimp Empanadas - Empanadas de Camaron
Apple Empanadas
More About Empanadas

The week leading up to Easter is known as Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Latin America, and it is one of the most important religious celebrations of the year.
Processions, religious ceremonies, and public festivities occur throughout the week, starting with Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos), continuing through Good Thursday (Jueves Santo), Good Friday (Viernes Santo), and finally Easter Sunday itself (Pascua or Domingo de Resurrección). Certain cities are especially known for their Semana Santa celebrations, such as Ayacucho in Peru, and Ouro Breto in Brazil.
One popular tradition is to decorate the streets with alfombras de flores (flower carpets) - colorful pictures made with flower petals and sawdust.

Semana Santa in South America: Holy Week Celebrations

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Restaurant Magazine and San Pelligrino just announced their 2011 picks for the 50 best restaurants in the world, and Gaston Acurio's Astrid and Gaston placed 42nd, the first time a Peruvian restaurant has made the list.

If you're not planning a trip to Lima anytime soon, Acurio has an acclaimed restaurant in San Francisco called La Mar, and he plans to open a second La Mar in New York City later this year.

Read more about the awards, and view a slide show of pictures from Astrid and Gaston here, from Living in Peru.

Living in Peru: Peru's Astrid & Gaston restaurant ranks in World's 50 Best Restaurants
More About the World's 50 Best Restaurants

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