A piragua is a Puerto Rican shaved ice dessert, shaped like a cone, consisting of shaved ice and covered with fruit-flavored syrup. Piraguas are sold by vendors, known as , from small, traditionally brightly-colored pushcarts offering a variety of flavors. Besides Puerto Rico, piraguas can be found in mainland areas of the United States with large Puerto Rican communities, such as New York and Central Florida. Definition In Puerto Rico, the word refers to a frozen treat made of shaved ice and covered with fruit-flavored syrup. Unlike the American snow cone which is round and resembles a snowball, the piragua is pointy and shaped like a pyramid. The word piragua is derived from the combination of the Spanish words ('pyramid') and ('water'). In Latin America, frozen treats similar to the piragua are known by many different names. Preparation and sale Piragüeros A piragua vendor is known as a . Most piragüeros sell their product from a colorful wooden pushcart that carries an umbrella, instead of from a fixed stand or kiosk. The piragüero makes the treats from the shavings off a block of solid ice inside his cart and mixtures of fruit-flavored syrups. The tropical syrup flavors vary from lemon and strawberry to passion fruit and guava. Once the syrups are ready, the piragüero will go to his place of business, which in Puerto Rico is usually close to the town plaza, while in the United States it is usually close to the public parks near Hispanic neighborhoods, to sell his product. In the process of preparing a piragua, the piragüero shaves the ice from the block of ice with a hand ice shaver. He then puts the shaved ice into a cup and uses a funnel-shaped tool to give it the distinctive pyramid shape. The piragüero finishes making the piragua when he pours the desired flavored syrup over it. Piragüeros only go out on hot sunny days because those are the only days when they can expect good business. Unlike the typical American snow cone, which is often eaten with a spoon, the piragua is eaten straight out of the cup or sipped through a straw. Flavored syrups Flavored syrups commonly used in piraguas include the following: (sesame seed) (anise) (cherry) (orange) (coconut) (cream) (red raspberry) (strawberry) (soursop) (guava) (lemon) (mango) (mandarin orange) (mauby) (sugar cane syrup) (honeydew) (passion fruit) (pineapple) (tamarind) (grape) (vanilla) Two of the terms used