Piloncillo is a pure, unrefined sugar made from squeezing the juice from sugar cane, cooking it into a thick caramel-like gel, pouring it into a mold and allowing it to become hard (very, very hard). Considered “healthy” (as far as sugar is concerned), piloncillo retains many vitamins and minerals – such as magnesium, iron, vitamin C and calcium – which refined sugar loses during its production.

Naming it: Piloncillo, as it's known in Mexico, comes from the word pilón, or pillar, because of its cone shape. In other countries, this natural sugar commonly comes in disc form and is known as panela In Colombia, rapadura in Brazil, chancaca in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, and papelón in Central America.

Using it: Piloncillo is common throughout Latin America as the preferred sweetener in most desserts, and, because it needs to be broken down in some liquid to be used, is especially common in many drinks, such as tepache, agua panela and papelón conlimón.

Finding it: Some form of piloncillo should not be too hard to find; the best bet is the Latin aisle in your supermarket. Failing that, try a Latin or Indian specialty market (looking for jaggery in the Indian market) or ordering some from mexgrocer.com.

Replacing it: If all else fails, you can use dark brown sugar, if you must.

Prescribing it: Because piloncillo retains many of its vitamins and minerals, people believe it to have medicinal usages, such as curing a cough, relieving indigestion and constipation, and helping breathing in highly polluted areas.

Immortalizing it: In November of 2009, the largest panela ever was made in Palmira, Colombia. It weighed 715 kilograms – that's more than 1575 pounds! It was then served as thousands of cups of agua panela as a fundraiser.

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Latin Foodie Holiday Gift Buying Guide

Great gifts at all prices for the lover of Latin cuisine in your life

Huitlacohe, corn smut or Mexican truffle,call it what you will, any foodie would loveto try this authentic up-and-coming ingredient in soups, quesadillas and Mexican specialties. $7.95store.gourmetsleuth.com

Ancho chile powder, aji amarillo inbrine, dried Mulato chiles and anychile, herb or seasoning blend a cook of authentic food could want.$3.99-$16.99 www.kaluystans.com

There'll be no more eating flan out ofrewashed, disposable plastic cups with these 6-oz. custard cups – great for flan,puddings, gelatins, and ice cream sundaes.$4.99 www.bedbathandbeyond.com

This Mexican style grill is a great multi-tasker, from warming tortillas and charring chiles tomaking arepas and even french toast (should you decide to strayfrom Latin cooking). And this comal'sdouble burner size means food is readytwice as fast. $24.95www.mexican-goods.com

La Merced Organice YerbaMate Starter Kit Gift Set isgreat for any fan of Argentine culture or tea and definitely ideal for both. Includes gourd, cane bombilla (straw) and 8.8-oz. Organicyerba mate tea. $23.95www.gauchogourmet.com

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Whether making tamales, menudo, barbacoaor just a massive amount of spaghetti (or sopa), this 11 5/8-qt. tamale pot with removable steamerwill enable you to make a variety of authenticMexican and Central American dishes. $19.99www.tamalepot.co.cc

So maybe you're buying for the type of Latinfoodie that isn't impressed by custard cupsor corn fungus (if such exists!), but you canstill please them on a similar budget. Chileanwines offer remarkable flavor at a surprisinglylow price, like the Santa Ema AmplusChardonnay 2008. $19.99www.wine.com

Sure, these days everyone already has a blender, butingredients pummelled and crushed in a molcajete witha tejolote give more flavor than simple blending. It's thegift of not only tastier salsas, but also super buff arms. $39.95www.surlatable.com

Any cubano connoisseurknows that without thepress, a cuban sandwichis little more than a ham and cheese. Getthick sandwiches withcrispy, authentic resultsfor all your cubanos andpaninis. $39www.imusausa.com

Masa is the heart of a large part of Mexican cuisine - tortillas, quesadillas, empanadas, gorditas. Give thegift of these homemade favorites with this all-inclusivetortilla-making gift set. $49.95www.mexgrocer.com

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Turrón Jijona

An almond-flavored nougat, this candy is a Christmas time

favorite throughout the Mediterranean. Brought to Latin America with the conquistadores,

this treat remains popular amongst the former Spanish

colonies, particularly Argentina, Colombia and Peru.

200 g orange blossom honey100 g sugar1 egg white350 g slivered almonds1/8 teaspoon lemon zest

On a cookie tray, toast the almonds in a 350* oven for 10-15 minutes. Cool. Finely chop the almonds, without turning them into a paste.

In a saucepan over low heat, cook the honey and the sugar, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens. Remove from heat.

Beat the egg white well and add to the honey mixture. Stir constantly for 10 minutes. Return mixture to low heat until it caramelizes, about 10 minutes.

Take off the heat and add the almonds and lemon zest. Stir until well incorporated.

Pour mixture into a pan lined with greased parchment paper. Allow to cool for 3 days. Cut into finger-shaped pieces and store in an air-tight container.

The 12 Dulces of ChristmasChristmas is a wonderful time in Latin America. Not only do decorations,

special holiday fare and proof of genuine holiday spirit abound, but it's not even cold in most places! Two elements stand out about Christmas celebrations in Latin America – the original religious meaning still dominates commercialism, and specific sweets, whether food or drink, are nearly mandatory on the table at Nochebuena and throughout much of December. However, each country will have a different dessert gracing their palates. Colombia dominates the others with several desserts both unique to their country and the holiday season. Mexico and Argentina provide us with sweet ideas that Americans are very comfortable with in December – cookies! Various drinks from Puerto Rico to Chile offer delicious options to the traditional egg nog. Fruit and fried dough find their place among many countries' holiday favorites, as well. Since Christmas in the United States has no required traditional dessert on the table year after year (like pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving), maybe some of Latin America's sweetest traditions are worth an experimental place on your Christmas table this year.

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These citrus-flavored, crispy strips of fried dough are a vital part of

the Colombian Christmas and the Novenas, the celebration leading up to Christmas. They are best

sprinkled with sugar and commonly served with other traditional Colombian treats.

Dulce de Lechosa

HojuelasCon Natilla

While we're dreaming of a white Christmas with mugs of hot

chocolate, much of Latin America is enjoying summer, or at least warm weather, making fruit a

popular Christmas dessert throughout Central and South America, but this sweetened

papaya Is unique to Venezuela.

1 cup AP flour1 Tbsp. butter, softened1 Tbsp. sugar¼ tsp. salt½ cup orange juice

2 cups whole milk1 piloncillo, broken1 cinnamon stick90 g corn starch

Natilla - bring 1 cup milk, piloncillo and cinnamon to a boil. Dissolve corn starch in remaining milk. Add corn starch mixture to the boiling milk. Whisk vigorously for at least 3 minutes, or until you can see the bottom of the bowl.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Add butter, and mix well until incorporated.

Slowly add the orange juice until dough comes together (like pizza dough – you may not use all the OJ).

Form dough into a flat disc and chill, at least 1 hour.

Heat oil. Flour table, and roll

dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 1-inch x 4-inch strips.

Test oil with a small piece of dough. When ready, fry the dough until golden and crispy. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.

Sprinkle with sugar,. Serve warm with natilla.

4 pounds unripe papaya2 pounds sugar3 whole cloves1 cinnamon stick1 cup water

Peel papaya and remove seeds. Cut remaining papaya into 4-inch by 1-inch strips.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, add papaya, water, sugar, clove and cinnamon. Cook slowly until the papaya cristalizes, at least one hour.

Allow to cool. Serve cold or at room temperature

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A New Year's TraditionGuarantee Some Good Luck Next Year ...with Grapes! About 100 years ago, a massive grape surplus and some quick thinking cultivators in Alicante gave birth to Spain's favorite New Year's tradition. With each chime of midnight, Spaniards down a grape to bring good luck for each month of the coming new year. Eating all twelve on time ensures good fortune, but a sour grape or off-chime timing can forebode bad luck for that particular month.

While this tradition was invented about 400 years too late to cross the Atlantic with the conquistadores, the grape-eating custom has found much popularity in the New Year's celebrations of many Latin America countries. Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia and many communities within the United States all help boost late-December grape sales, but most countries also put their own spin on this tradition. While in Spain the grapes represent good luck, on this side of the ocean, they can represent goals for the new year. In Mexico, people make a wish with each grape they swallow. In Peru, the grapes still symbolize good luck, but they eat thirteen – that extra one as some insurance for the supposed good fortune of the grapes.

Bringing the tradition alive in your own home requires nothing more than twelve grapes per participating person, and twelves wishes or goals, if you choose. Swallowing twelve grapes quickly with the pressure of the entire year's fortune relying on its success can be difficult, so smaller, seedless grapes are recommended for obvious safety reasons. When midnight strikes, just start popping them in your mouth in time with each chime, and then begin to enjoiy the promised good luck of each grape!