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, tteok, and red beans.^[2]^[3]

Alternative namesBingsoo

TypeShaved ice

CourseDessert

Place of originKorea

Quick facts Alternative names, Type ...

Bingsu
Korean name
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

Hangul	빙수
Hanja	氷水
RR	bingsu
MR	pingsu
IPA	piŋ.su
Red bean shaved ice
Hangul	팥빙수
Hanja	팥氷水
RR	patbingsu
MR	p'atpingsu
IPA	pʰat̚.p͈iŋ.su

Media: Bingsu

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The most common variety is patbingsu (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.^[4] The earliest known documentation of ice-based desserts within Korea existed during the Joseon period (1392–1897) which employed the use of crushed ice with various fruits, and were distributed from the ancient Korean ice storage called Gyeongju Seokbinggo (Korean: 석빙고).^[5]^[6]

After the Korean War, with the introduction of condensed milk, syrup, and chocolate from the United States, together with the mass migration of Korean immigrants who brought their culinary cuisine to the US, Korean bingsu began to be more diverse. Western ingredients brought into the country after the Korean War, along with the influence of Korean American immigrants 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]