''Bingsu'' (), sometimes written as ''bingsoo'', is a Korean shaved ice

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...

with sweet toppings that may include chopped fruit,

condensed milk Condensed milk is cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of ''sweetened condensed milk'' (SCM), to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condens ...

, fruit syrup, and

red bean Red bean is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * Adzuki bean (''Vigna angularis''), commonly used in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisine, particularly as red bean paste * Kidney bean, red variety of ''Phaseolus vulgaris'', commo ...

s. The most common variety is ''pat-bingsu'' (), the

shaved ice. The main ingredient of ice was natural ice in the past, but later artificial ice was produced and high-quality sweeteners were developed, and now it has been improved into boiled red bean shaved ice or fruit shaved ice mixed with various fruits. At first, the ice-cutting machine was a simple tool in the shape of a plane, but now the electric power is widely used after a manual rotation by hand.

History

The earliest forms of ''bingsu'' existed during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). The government records show that the

official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their ...

s shared the crushed ices topped with various fruits, which were distributed from the ancient Korean ice storage called ''seokbinggo'' ( ko, 석빙고). The early forms of ''patbingsu'' consisted of shaved ice and two or three ingredients, typically

red bean paste Red bean paste () or red bean jam, also called adzuki bean paste or ''anko'' (a Japanese word), is a paste made of red beans (also called "adzuki beans"), used in East Asian cuisine. The paste is prepared by boiling the beans, then mashing or g ...

, tteok, and ground nut powder. The modern versions of the iced desserts were began to be sold in ''Taegeukdang'' ( ko, 태극당), the oldest bakery in Seoul that opened in 1946. With the western influences after the Korean War, more various and richer ingredients, such as cereals, syrups, ice creams, or whipped creams, were added to ''patbingsu''.

Varieties

''Patbingsu'' (, , sometimes anglicized as ''patbingsoo'', literally "red beans shaved ice") is a popular Korean shaved ice

with sweet toppings that may include chopped fruit,

, fruit syrup, and

s. The food began as ice shavings with red beans (known as ''pat'', ). Many varieties of ''patbingsu'' exist in contemporary culture. There are a variety of ''bingsu'' types and flavors. Many ''bingsu'' do not necessarily follow tradition, and some do not include the red bean paste. Some popular flavors are:

green tea Green tea is a type of tea that is made from '' Camellia sinensis'' leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process which is used to make oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China, and since the ...

, coffee, and yogurt.

In various countries

Korea

In addition to the existing ''patbingsu'', several Korean franchises have made shaved ice made from various ingredients such as Injeolmi shaved ice, melon shaved ice, coffee shaved ice, and green tea shaved ice. Since the Joseon Dynasty, it was the first time to mix honey and fruit with ice taken from seokbinggo, and after the Korean War, condensed milk, syrup, and chocolate were introduced from the United States and modern "Korean shaved ice" began to be made. Now, bingsu can be found at almost every dessert shop in Korea.

Japan

In a tea shop in Kagoshima, Shirokuma (the white bear, ) was made, and the shape of white condensed milk poured over shaved ice in a round bowl and fruits such as sweet red beans, cherries, and tangerines was named after what looked like a white bear's face.

Singapore

Due to the characteristics of

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

es, mango shaved ice with many mangoes is also famous, as served in a store in Singapore. The "Monster bingsu" is also famous for freezing various flavors of milk, grinding it into layers, and putting chocolate shaped like eyeballs. This variant has shaved ice grounded to show the grain of milk rather than ice with water.

Gallery

File:Bingsu 2.jpg, Various ''bingsu'' File:Korean shaved-ice Patbingsu A01.jpg, ''Patbingsu'' File:Persion bingsu.jpg, Persimmon ''bingsu'' File:Patbingsu 1.jpg, Bingsu with ice cream File:Korean shaved ice-Yogurt bingsu-01.jpg, A yogurt ''bingsu'' File:Melonbingsu.jpg, Melon ''bingsu'' File:Bingsu.jpg, ''Patbingsu'' topped with fruits File:베리빙수.JPG, Berry ''bingsu'' File:Milktea binsu.JPG, Milk tea ''bingsu'' File:흑임자빙수.jpg, Black sesame ''bingsu'' File:Greentea-bingsu.jpg, Green tea ''bingsu'' File:Nokcha-bingsu.jpg, Green tea ''bingsu'' File:Cheese Bingsu , 치즈빙수.JPG, Cheese ''bingsu'' File:Bingsu 3.jpg, ''Patbingsu'' File:Mixed-berry Bingsu.jpg, Mixed-berry ''bingsu'' File:Injeolmi bingsu.jpg, '' Injeolmi-bingsu'' topped with ''kong- gomul'' (soybean powder)

References

External links

{{Ice-based beverages and desserts Ice-based desserts Korean cuisine Winter in culture