Bingsu

Bingsu (Korean: 빙수; lit. frozen water), 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]

Bingsu

The basic form of 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

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]

The most common variety is pat-bingsu (Korean: 팥빙수, lit. 'red bean frozen water'), topped with sweet red beans. The main ingredient of bingsu was natural ice in the past, but later, artificial ice was produced, and high-quality sweeteners were developed. Many modern bingsu varieties use frozen milk rather than water-based ice. Historically, the ice-cutting machine was a simple tool in the shape of a plane, but now, most shaved ice is created by electric ice shavers.

History

Bingsu has similar origins to sorbet, with fruit- and milk-flavored ice-based confectionary documented as far back as 400 BCE in Ancient Persia and China.^[4] The earliest known documentation of ice-based desserts 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]

After the Korean War, with the introduction of condensed milk, syrup, and chocolate from the United States, Korean bingsu began to be more diverse. 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 bingsu.^[7][8]

Varieties

Patbingsu (팥빙수; 팥氷水; sometimes anglicized as patbingsoo, literally "red bean 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. Some popular flavors are green tea, coffee, and yogurt.^[9][10]

In addition to the existing patbingsu, several Korean franchises have made shaved ice from various ingredients such as Injeolmi, melon, coffee, and green tea. Now, bingsu can be found at almost every dessert shop in Korea.^[11]

Gallery

• 
  Various bingsu
• 
  Patbingsu
• 
  Persimmon bingsu
• 
  Bingsu with ice cream
• 
  A yogurt bingsu
• 
  Melon bingsu
• 
  Patbingsu topped with fruits
• 
  Berry bingsu
• 
  Milk tea bingsu
• 
  Black sesame bingsu
• 
  Green tea bingsu
• 
  Green tea bingsu
• 
  Cheese bingsu
• 
  Patbingsu
• 
  Mixed-berry bingsu
• 
  Injeolmi-bingsu topped with kong-gomul (soybean powder)
• 
  Hojicha bingsu served with tapioca pearls, condensed milk and coconut.

See also

• Korean cuisine

Shaved ice § Regions, for similar shaved ice variations around the world.

• Kakigōri: Japanese shaved ice
• Tshuah-ping: Taiwanese shaved ice
• Halo-halo: Filipino shaved ice
• Es campur and Es teler: Indonesian shaved ice
• Namkhaeng sai and O-aew: Thai shaved ice
• Ais Kacang (ABC, Ice Kacang): Malaysian/Singaporean shaved ice
• Grattachecca: Italian shaved ice popular in Rome.
• Hawaiian shave ice: Hawaiian shaved ice