Patbingsu

Patbingsu
Dessert
Patbingsu and nokcha bingsu (green tea bingsu)
Place of origin:
Korea
Main ingredient(s):
Red bean paste, Shaved ice
Variations:
Green tea bingsu
Recipes at Wikibooks:
Patbingsu
Media at Wikimedia Commons:
Patbingsu

Patbingsu (팥빙수, also stylized as patbingsoo, literally red beans with ice) is a Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings such as chopped fruit, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and red bean paste.^[1] The snack is highly popular.

This snack originally began as ice shavings with red bean paste (known as pat, 팥). It was traded among government officials. Many varieties of patbingsu exists in contemporary culture.

History

The early forms of patbingsu consisted of shaved ice and two or three ingredients, red bean paste, tteok, and ground nut powder.^[2] The earliest forms of patbingsu can be found in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). Government records show officials sharing crushed ice topped with various fruits.^[3][4] Some historians believe that the early forms originated from a Chinese tradition of eating snow or ice topped with fruit juices, but Korea disputes this origin.^[5]

The modern forms of patbingsu are reputed to originate during the period of Korea under Japanese rule (1910-1945) with the introduction of a cold red bean paste dish.^[3][4] However, the combinations of red bean paste and shaved ice is a Korean invention.^[6] During the Korean War (1950-1953), foreign influence led to the inclusion of ingredients such as Fruit cocktail, ice cream,^[5] fruits, nuts, cereal, and syrups, and whipped cream.^[6] In the 1970s and 1980s, popular ingredients included fruit cocktail, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries.^[5]

Variations

Currently, there are a variety of patbingsu types and flavors. Many bingsus do not follow the tradition and some do not include the red bean paste.^[7] Some popular flavors are: green tea, coffee, and yogurt.^[8]

Availability

Patbingsu can be found at most fast food restaurants, cafes, and bakeries in South Korea.^[1] Patbingsu is also a very popular dessert at cafés in New York's, Los Angeles', or Atlanta's Koreatown.^[9]

Gallery

• 

  Lotteria offers an elaborate version with ice cream

• 

  A yogurt bingsu from the popular Korean Red Mango chain

• 

  Typical ready-made ingredients

• 

  Melon bingsu from 'Chaoruem' near Gangnam station.

See also

• Korean cuisine
• Ais kacang
• Baobing
• Halo halo
• Kakigori
• Grattachecca

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lee, Robyn (June 5, 2009). "Snapshots from South Korea: Patbingsu, a Popular Shaved Ice Dessert". Serious Eats. Retrieved January 5, 2013. 
2. ↑ Min, Ines (June 3, 2010). "Ice cream explorations and a peek into the past". The Korea Times. Retrieved January 5, 2014. 
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dang, Tae Keuk (September 13, 2010). "Snowy delights and variations on bingsu". Herald Corporation. Retrieved January 6, 2014. 
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "팥빙수[氷水]" [Patbingsu]. Doopedia (in Korean). Doosan Corporation. Retrieved January 6, 2014. 
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Imatome-Yun, Naomi. "Shaved Ice Dessert with Sweet Beans Recipe (Patbingsu)". About.com. Retrieved January 6, 2013. 
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Comeau, Kimberly (September 27, 2011). "Get ready for patbingsu: Red beans over shaved ice". The Jeju Weekly (jeju weekly.com). Retrieved January 6, 2013. 
7. ↑ "Bingsu, an unbeatable summer treat!". KOREA TOURISM ORGANIZATION. Retrieved January 6, 2014. 
8. ↑ Lee, Ji-yoon (July 7, 2008). "Korea's cold summer taste - naengmyeon and patbingsu". Korea.net. The Korean Culture and Information Service. Retrieved January 6, 2013. 
9. ↑ Amter, Charlie. "A game of top this in frozen yogurt wars". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2013. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Patbingsu.