Shave Ice Desserts, From Snow Cones to Halo Halo, Defined

Shave ice, one of many world’s oldest desserts, is immediately in every single place. It goes by many names; at Ariari in New York Metropolis, hotteok bingsoo served with cinnamon puffs and peanuts. The Lobster Membership, additionally in New York Metropolis, serves a dolled-up “pineapple the other way up” kakigori. In San Francisco, Far From Paradise Cafe serves Hawaiian shave ice with flavors like guava, mango, coconut, and root beer. And in New Orleans, the place sno-balls are a longstanding custom, Likelihood in Hell SnoBalls has an ever rotating checklist of flavors, from pistachio lemon cream to traditional vanilla-almond nectar.

The frozen dessert — by which blocks of ice are shaved into snow-like mounds; skinny, feather-like shards; or curly swirls — is especially in style in Asian international locations, the place it may be discovered in numerous varieties. It’s additionally in style in different components of the globe, together with however not restricted to Mexico, South America, the Center East, and naturally, america. Whereas the names, flavors, and varieties may differ from nation to nation, shave ice is usually a road meals, and priced accordingly. Right here’s a better have a look at a wide range of ice-based sweets from the world over:

Shave ice kinds by origin, from halo-halo to raspado

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Kakigori (Japan)

A conventional summer season deal with discovered throughout Japan, kakigori is alleged up to now again so far as the tenth or eleventh century — although at that time it was reserved for Japanese the Aristocracy, and didn’t trickle all the way down to the widespread individuals till the late 1800s, when industrialization made transporting ice a lot simpler. A kakigori machine is fitted with a pointy blade that finely shaves ice off a big (typically sq., typically spherical) block; like Hawaiian shave ice or snow cones, it’s sometimes made with plain, unflavored ice, piled right into a towering mound in a squat cup or bowl, after which topped with flavored syrups. Generally seen syrup flavors in Japan embrace recent fruits like melon or strawberry; matcha (usually paired with a drizzle of condensed milk); and mizore, which is a light however in style white sugar syrup.

Shave ice (Hawai‘i)

Hawaiian shave ice is without doubt one of the best-known types of shaved ice desserts. Descended from Japanese kakigori, it was dropped at the island by Japanese plantation laborers. The primary stands opened within the early 1900s to serve plantation staff a cooling deal with in the course of the hottest summer season months. Like kakigori, it resembles positive fluffy snow and is topped with flavored syrups, that are shortly absorbed into the dessert because of the ice’s powdery texture.

In contrast to in Japan, Hawaiian stands are inclined to go for sweeter, brighter coloured syrups like blue raspberry to bubblegum. However newer artisan-style stands are making use of domestically grown components, with flavors like lilikoi (passionfruit), soursop, and papaya. Hawaiian shave ice is often served with a scoop of ice cream at its core, and/or topped with candy pink azuki beans.

Patbingsu/bingsu or bingsoo (South Korea)

In Korea, the shave-ice dessert referred to as patbingsu is ubiquitous. Patbingsu depends closely on toppings: A mound of shave ice resembling a snowball is heaped right into a bowl and adorned with components like candy pink beans (essentially the most important patbingsu topping), condensed milk, tteok (rice muffins), fruit, toasted soybean powder, and typically even scoops of ice cream. The concoction is usually combined up with a spoon earlier than consuming.

Bao bing (Taiwan and China)

Thought to have been served in China as early because the seventh century, bao bing is without doubt one of the oldest types of shave ice, and can be present in Taiwan and Malaysia. It’s been in style within the U.S. for many years (as evidenced by a 1989 New York Instances story discussing the “Americanization” of the dish). Like patbingsu, it’s sometimes served piled excessive in a bowl with a number of topings, in a beneficiant portion meant for sharing. Fruit is sort of all the time concerned, similar to mango, lychee, or rambutan. Purple beans are additionally in style, and different widespread garnishes embrace taro, peanuts, mochi, grass jelly, fruit syrups, and condensed milk.

In comparison with kakigori and Hawaiian shave ice, the feel of bao bing is much less powdery or snow-like and extra like thinly shaved sheets or flakes of ice. And in contrast to different variations which use plain ice, most Taiwanese-style retailers purchase pre-made, pre-flavored blocks of ice, although some make their very own. Very like its creamier counterpart fro-yo, bao bing retailers within the U.S. provide an enormous array of toppings, from fruit and beans to Oreos and gummy bears.

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Halo-halo (Philippines)

This Filipino favourite is usually served in a tall, clear glass to indicate off its many elaborate and colourful layers. Components can differ wildly relying on the season or private style, nevertheless it nearly all the time contains shaved ice, recent fruit similar to jackfruit, evaporated milk, a jelly-like garnish similar to nata de coco (coconut gel), one thing crunchy (often toasted glutinous rice flakes, and even simply Rice Krispies), and ice cream (often ube, or purple yam). Different components often seen in halo-halo are palm nuts, mung beans, and shredded coconut. Naturally, American cooks have put their very own spin on halo-halo by topping it with breakfast cereal like Cap’n Crunch and Pocky sticks.

Nam kang sai (Thailand)

Thailand’s model of shave ice is offered by road distributors throughout the nation, who sometimes use hand-crank machines to shave their ice; patrons can select to concoct their very own combos with components like jackfruit, taro, candy corn, water chestnuts, and cubes of bread. The combination is often topped with sala syrup — an artificially flavored candy pink syrup that’s additionally used to make a well-liked drink referred to as pinky milk — and/or coconut milk.

Es campur (Indonesia)

Discovered throughout Indonesia, from road hawkers to full-service eating places, es campur sometimes appears to be like like a bowl of bigger chunks of ice moderately than finely shaved snow. It’s served in a shallow bowl or glass and floats in a combination of assorted additions, often together with sweetened condensed milk, pandan syrup, and probably basil seeds, grass jelly, jackfruit, fermented cassava root, coconut, or avocado.

Ais kacang (Malaysia)

Typically referred to as ABC, this candy ice is served at hawker stands throughout Malaysia in addition to in Singapore. Ais kacang (or “ice kacang”) is made with tall mounds of fluffy machine-shaved ice topped with numerous flavored syrups like rose, pandan, or gula melaka (palm sugar); in style garnishes embrace pink beans, durian, basil seeds, peanuts (“kacang” means nuts or beans), seaweed jelly, candy corn, sprinkles, and naturally, the ever-present condensed or evaporated milk.

Piragua (Puerto Rico)

A well-liked summertime deal with within the U.S. island territory, piraguas may also be present in components of the U.S. which have massive boricua populations, similar to New York and Florida. Sometimes served in a plastic cup, the ice is scraped by hand (making it coarser than the fluffy snow present in kakigori) after which mounded right into a tall pyramid form earlier than being topped with flavored syrup; it’s served with a straw to slurp up the dessert because the syrup and ice soften collectively. Standard flavors embrace tamarind, coconut, sesame seed, passionfruit, pineapple, and melon.

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Raspado (Mexico)

Standard throughout Mexico in addition to in areas of the U.S. with vital Mexican immigrant populations, similar to LA, raspados are Mexico’s model of the snow cone. (Raspado comes from raspar, Spanish for “to scrape.”) Raspados are historically scraped by hand with a steel instrument referred to as a raspador. Often served in a plastic cup with a straw for slurping because the ice and syrup soften collectively, they arrive topped with fruit, syrup, and/or milk; essentially the most ubiquitous flavors embrace tamarind and rompope (eggnog). Related desserts are in style in Cuba (the place they’re known as granizado) and quite a few Latin American international locations, together with Colombia (cholado).

Shikashika (Peru and Bolivia)

Discovered solely in Peru and Bolivia, shikashika (additionally referred to as raspadilla) has one distinctive attribute that units it other than each different kind of shaved ice dessert: It’s made with glacier ice introduced down from the Andes. The subject of the 2008 documentary Shikashika, the method of acquiring the ice blocks could be harrowing, nevertheless it supplies vital enterprise for native rural economies. As soon as the ice blocks are transported from the mountains into cities, they’re shaved; topped with flavored syrups, honey, and/or milk; and served in a pint glass with a spoon.

Gola/Chuski (India and Pakistan)

A well-liked summertime deal with at street-food distributors throughout India and Pakistan, gola (additionally referred to as chuski or gola ganda) has a coarser texture, like a snow cone, and is often ready through a hand-crank machine. The ice is compressed right into a cup, soaked with syrup — in style flavors embrace mango, rose, and kala khatta, which is made with blackberry and cumin — after which slid onto a stick earlier than serving, wanting one thing like a hybrid of shaved ice and a popsicle.

Different ice desserts that aren’t fairly shaved ice

Faloodeh (Iran)

It will be unattainable to compile an inventory of ice-based sweets with out together with faloodeh. Thought of one of many oldest recognized frozen desserts, Iranian faloodeh dates again to the fourth century B.C. and is flavored with rosewater. With a slushy texture much like granita, it’s ready by making a syrup with water, sugar, lime juice, rosewater, after which freezing it. (It’s typically made with saffron, which provides it a definite golden hue.) It’s usually topped with a bitter cherry syrup, pistachios, or recent lime juice. Faloodeh stands out from different icy desserts as a result of it’s combined with crushed-up noodles, which provides it a singular texture; skinny, translucent rice vermicelli noodles are generally used, however the noodles may also be made with different starches similar to arrowroot or potato starch.

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Snow cones, Sno-balls, Italian ice, and so on. (United States)

Throughout the U.S., the most well-liked type of shaved ice dessert is the snow cone. It’s sometimes produced from finely crushed, moderately than shaved, ice and due to this fact has a coarser, crunchier texture than Hawaiian shave ice. The snow cone is alleged to have been invented in 1919; one 12 months later, a person named Samuel Bert devised the primary snow cone machine and started promoting the treats on the State Honest of Texas.

Seasonal snow cone stands can now be discovered all around the United States, with patrons lining up in the course of the summer season months to order paper cones or styrofoam cups crammed with mounds of cool, crunchy ice topped with quite a few flavored syrups. The most typical flavors embrace fruits like cherry, strawberry, grape, and lemon-lime, and concoctions like “tiger’s blood” (watermelon, strawberry, and coconut). Snow cone stands additionally often provide ice cream as an addition; a scoop of ice cream (nearly all the time vanilla) is positioned in a cup after which topped off with a layer of ice and syrup. In recent times extra uncommon flavors, like pickle, have additionally develop into in style, as have artisanal snow cone retailers that serve all-natural syrups made with recent fruits or components like Earl Gray tea.

Snowballs, or sno-balls, as they’re often referred to, are a snow cone variation notably in style in Louisiana. Like snow cones, they’re made with plain unflavored ice after which topped with flavored syrup. However because the names point out, the treats are made with shaved ice versus crushed ice, giving them a fluffy, snow-like texture. One of the iconic sno-ball retailers is arguably Hansen’s Sno-Bliz in New Orleans, which has received a James Beard Award and serves distinctive flavors like bananas Foster.

Baltimore additionally has its personal model of the snowball, which was created in the course of the Industrial Revolution. Ice vans passing by the town would cease and provides ice shavings to youngsters, and adults would add flavorings; later, they have been served in film theaters as a option to maintain patrons cool in the course of the summer season.

Gab Bonghi

Gab Bonghi

Italian ice, one other regional American ice-based dessert, is usually flavored with lemon. Typically clean sufficient to sip out of a straw like frozen lemonade, it’s extra usually creamy sufficient to spoon out of a cup, and is a relative of granita, a deal with from southern Italy. In Philadelphia, the variation is known as water ice, produced from water, sugar, and fruit juice. It’s texture is creamer than the granular or powdery really feel of shave ice or a snow cone.

Granita (Italy)

The frozen dessert most frequently related to Italy is gelato, however granita is one other in style warm-weather deal with, notably in its birthplace: Sicily. In the summertime, Sicilians often forego their morning cornetto pastries in favor of a cooling granita to pair with their espresso. Served in a glass, sundae dish, or a small paper cup, it has an icy, crystalline texture; not like different shave ice desserts which can be made with flavored syrups poured over plain ice, granita is made by flavoring the liquid earlier than it’s frozen with fruit juice or different components.

Fairly than being shaved to order like Hawaiian shave ice or bao bing, granita syrup is agitated because it’s frozen to create a barely gritty texture. It’s then scooped out of steel troughs, like gelato. Fruit flavors similar to lemon and strawberry are notably in style, however granita additionally is available in non-fruit varieties like pistachio and chocolate. It’s typically topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

Truth-checked by Daybreak Mobley
Particular because of Sam Kim