''Bingsu'' (), sometimes written as ''bingsoo'', is a

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

n shaved ice

dessert Dessert is a 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 most parts o ...

with sweet toppings that may include chopped

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

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 condense ...

fruit syrup Fruit syrups or fruit molasses are concentrated fruit juices used as sweeteners. Fruit syrups have been used in many cuisines: * in Arab cuisine, '' rub'', ''jallab''; * in Ancient Greek cuisine, ''epsima''; * in Greek cuisine, ''petimezi''; * ...

, 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 Red bean paste () or red bean jam, also called adzuki ...

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 Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

(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 su ...

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 ...

tteok ''Tteok'' ( ko, 떡) is a class of Korean rice cakes made with steamed flour made of various grains, including glutinous or non-glutinous rice. Steamed flour can also be pounded, shaped, or pan-fried to make ''tteok''. In some cases, ''tte ...

, 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

n shaved ice

with sweet toppings that may include chopped

, 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 th ...

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

, and

yogurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bac ...

In various countries

Korea

In addition to the existing ''patbingsu'', several Korean franchises have made shaved ice made from various ingredients such as

Injeolmi ''Injeolmi'' (, ) is a variety of ''tteok'', or Korean rice cake, made by steaming and pounding glutinous rice flour, which is shaped into small pieces and usually covered with steamed powdered dried beans or other ingredients. It is a representa ...

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 , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

, 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 Sout ...

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, ''

-bingsu'' topped with ''kong-

gomul ''Gomul'' () refers to a number of powdered coatings, toppings, fillings, or dips in Korean cuisine. Uses ''Gomul'' is used to improve the appearance and taste of ''tteok'' (rice cake), including ''injeolmi'', '' danja'', and '' gyeongdan'', as ...

'' (soybean powder)

References

External links

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

History

Varieties

In various countries

Korea

Japan

Singapore

Gallery

See also

References

External links