What Is Limber?

Limber is essentially a Puerto Rican-style ice cream. It has the texture of a popsicle but it is frozen in a plastic cup. There is no popsicle stick inserted so it must be enjoyed by squeezing the cup so the limber pops out so you can suck on it. Many people like to flip it upside down so they can eat it from the bottom up.

HISTORY OF THE LIMBER.

Believe it or not, the roots of the limber date back to a pilot who flew to Puerto Rico in the 1920s. His name was Charles A. Lindbergh and he was the first pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. On February 4th, 1928 he flew to Puerto Rico (coincidentally, it was his 26th birthday) and was greeted with frozen juice cups. Since then locals started freezing juice and calling it “limber”, according to Caribbean Trading. ( by Rose Y. Colon-Singh).

This story made me laugh for a long time. First of all, I had no idea that the local spelling contained an m instead of an n. In other words, I thought the icy stuff was linber and now I just found out that the reason I could never find a proper recipe was because of my incorrect spelling. Now I also learn about how this delicacy came into existence and how the local folks would interpret Lindbergh as limber. Spanish, contrary to English is a phonetical language where most words are written as they sound.

Tropical heat compels people to want something cold to cool their souls. Children and adults alike indulge in these tasty, local delicacies. The French sorbet can’t compete with a Limber de Guanabana! Mark Twain, by the way, called the guanabana fruit the most delicious flavor on Earth.

Just about two years ago, having failed to secure any semblance of a “linber” recipe, due to my spelling shortcomings, I started asking around for recipes and learned how to make vanilla limbers and coconut limbers. My summer heatwave was saved by these delicious delights.

Recently I purchased the ingredients to make coconut limbers for a friend’s grandchildren and we ended us making something else. So I decided to make adult limber and added about two ounces of rum to each plastic cup. Success doesn’t even describe it. They were truly yummy. So I told my parents about my invention. They liked the idea so much that jumped on the wagon and also made Rum Limbers but used fresh passion fruit. Not wasting any time my neighbor pulled three passion fruit off her vine and brought them over. Even as we speak the Passion Fruit limbers are cooling in my freezer. Repeat after me now in Spanish: Limber de Parcha. Practice so you know how to order yours when you come to visit.

Now that I’ve secured recipes for about ten different flavors you may be hearing plenty about the Puerto Rican Linbers here on Capricorn Science. Happy Sunday. Thanks for reading.