Bingsu

Summer Treat of Kings  

by Alison Rock

Is the summer heat overwhelming you? Why don’t you give bingsu a try? What is it you ask? Simply put, it is an ultra-indulgent gourmet version of shaved ice. 

Bingsu originated in Korea during the Jeosan dynasty in about 1392 when it was a treat for Kings and high-ranking officials. As you can imagine, ice was a rarity during the hot summer months. To have ice and preserve food during the hot summer months, the Koreans developed large stone storage caves called Bingo’s. Ice would be collected from places like the Han River and stored in these caves until it was needed. Freezers were not common in Korea until the 1980’s and ice stores were on every block until the 1970’s.  So, you can imagine how precious ice was in Korea. On very special occasions ice was crushed and topped with fresh fruit, but only for the elite.

As ice distribution became more popular in the 19th century, Patbingsu became the most common traditional treat enjoyed. Patbingsu is shaved ice topped with boiled red beans that are mashed and sweetened. As this dessert has evolved in the 20th and 21st centuries it is now served with rice cake, fresh fruit, and condensed milk. After the Korean War, bingsu was elevated to an entirely new level with chocolate syrup and other treats the US military brought with them from America.

Nowadays bingsu is being made with frozen shaved milk and fruit juices allowing the toppings to be added while keeping a light fluffy melt in your mouth texture.  The fluffy shaved ice is quite the opposite of snow cones or Hawaiian shaved ice that can get clumpy or hard when toppings are added. Bingsu can be found in many different shops across Korea like Yogerpresso which has over 300 locations, Sulbing with over 400 locations, and can even be found seasonally at Lotteria Korea’s largest fast-food restaurant with over 1,300 locations.

Now the biggest debate in Korea is what is the best flavor and frankly, I don’t know! I am a certified chocoholic yet I have a hard time choosing what to order. The Chocolate brownie bingsu at Yogerpresso is absolutely sinful made with shaved chocolate milk, brownie chunks, and cheesecake bites. To finish off this decadent dessert it is then topped with condensed milk and powdered chocolate goodness. At Sulbing I love the fruit bingsu. They have amazing flavors like fresh blueberry and strawberry but the mango is to die for. In fact, their mango bingsu is so popular that they now offer two versions; the standard mango and the king mango that not only has fresh mango chunks, cheesecake, and mango syrup, it is also topped with a scoop of mango sorbet! Every restaurant has its own twist on bingsu. Yoggerpresso tends to use shaved juices and call it snowflakes, Sulbing uses a more traditional ice and focuses more on the toppings.  Most bingsu in Korea is designed to be shared by two or more people so the portions are quite hardy and always enjoyable.

Start your summer adventure of finding the best bingsu in Korea and let me know what you think. And don’t worry if you get addicted, bingsu is gaining popularity in America. You can enjoy it at several different restaurant chains from California to New York that will give you a glimpse of Korea back home.

About the Author

Born in California Alison Rock is a trained culinarian, actor in Korea, K-influencer, painter, and most importantly a wife and mom to two teenage boys. She enjoys travel and has resided in Korea for ten years.