 Pat-bingsu (red bean bingsu) | |
| Alternative names | Bingsoo |
|---|---|
| Type | Shaved ice |
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | Korea |
| Serving temperature | Cold |
| Main ingredients | Ice, toppings |
| Variations | Pat-bingsu (red bean bingsu), nokcha-bingsu (green tea bingsu), ttalgi-bingsu (strawberry bingsu), choko-bingsu (chocolate bingsu), etc |
| Korean shaved ice | |
| Hangul | 빙수 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 氷水 |
| Revised Romanization | bingsu |
| McCune–Reischauer | pingsu |
| IPA | [piŋ.su] |
| Red bean shaved ice | |
| Hangul | 팥빙수 |
| Hanja | 팥氷水 |
| Revised Romanization | pat-bingsu |
| McCune–Reischauer | p'at-pingsu |
| IPA | [pʰat̚.p͈iŋ.su] |
Bingsu (Korean: 빙수; Hanja: 氷水), sometimes written as bingsoo,[1] is a milk-based Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings that may include chopped fruit, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and red beans.[2][3]
The most common variety is pat-bingsu (Korean: 팥빙수), the red bean 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.
The earliest forms of bingsu existed during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). The government records show that the officials shared the crushed ices topped with various fruits, which were distributed from the ancient Korean ice storage called seokbinggo (Korean: 석빙고). [4][5] The early forms of patbingsu consisted of shaved ice and two or three ingredients, typically red bean paste, tteok, and ground nut powder.[6]
The modern versions of the iced desserts began to be sold in Taegeukdang (Korean: 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.[7][8]
The use of stored and gathered ice for use in confections has been documented in Ancient Persia since 400 BCE onward.[9]
In the 11th century, Japan and China had similar shaved ice.[10]
Patbingsu (팥빙수, 팥氷水, sometimes anglicized as patbingsoo, literally "red beans shaved ice") is a popular Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings that may include chopped fruit, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and red beans.[2]
The food began as ice shavings with red beans (known as pat, 팥). 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.[11] Some popular flavors are: green tea, coffee, and yogurt.[12]
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.[13]
In a tea shop in Kagoshima, Shirokuma (the white bear, 白熊) 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.[citation needed]
Due to the characteristics of mangoes, 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.[14]
