The most common variety is pat-bingsu (Korean: 팥빙수, romanized: Red Bean Frozen Water), sweet red bean shaved ice. 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 being 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 become 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]
In addition to the existing patbingsu, several Korean franchises have made shaved ice made 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)
