Bingsu

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*
	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
	Media: Bingsu;

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.

History[edit]

Bingsu has similar origins to Sorbet with initial documentation of fruit and milk-flavoured ice-based confectionary being documented as far back as 400 BCE in Ancient Persia and China.^[4] The earliest forms of bingsu within Korea existed during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) which employed the use of crushed ice with various fruits, and were distributed from the ancient Korean ice storage called seokbinggo (Korean: 석빙고). ^[5]^[6]

The usage of shaved ice in confectionary by the Chinese and Japanese in the 11th century^[7] gave way to early forms of patbingsu which consisted of shaved ice and two or three ingredients, typically red bean paste, tteok, and ground nut powder.^[8]

The modern version of bingsu takes much inspiration from Kakigōri, a Japanese development of crushed-ice desserts, which became popularised in Korea after the occupation of Korea by colonial Japan. These were originally sold in Taegeukdang (Korean: 태극당), the oldest bakery in Seoul since its establishment in 1946.

Western influences after the Korean War have brought further variation to the ingredients used in the dish, with foods such as cereal, ice cream, and whipped cream, being added to patbingsu.^[9]^[10]

Varieties[edit]

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 various countries[edit]

Korea[edit]

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]

Japan[edit]

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]}

Singapore[edit]

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]