The Marriage of Artisanal Ice and Creative Desserts—Exploring Ice Culture and Culinary Delights

Amid Taiwan's scorching summer heat, whether it's shaved ice, moon-viewing ice, or taro ice, these refreshing Taiwanese frozen treats that bring cool delight to body and soul actually trace their origins back to the Japanese colonial period.

Taiwan's Rich and Ever-Evolving Ice Culture

Located in Taiwan's humid, sweltering subtropical climate, cooling refreshments like grass jelly and aiyu jelly existed even before the Japanese colonial period. During Japanese rule, the Japanese brought Taiwan the ice shop culture that was popular in Tokyo and Yokohama at the time—where ice vendors could be found "every five steps for a small shop, every ten steps for a large one." Initially, ice for Taiwan's colonial-era frozen treats had to be imported from overseas. Then in 1896, the Dadaocheng Ice Factory began operations, sparking an ice-making and ice-selling boom across the island.

What was once an imported luxury item became, with the spread of ice factories and technology, an affordable summer relief that even common folk could enjoy. Beyond shaved ice, historical records show that ji-luan-bing (egg-shaped ice) became popular in the 1910s—this early version was quite different from the later ji-dan-bing, though both share the same egg shape, leaning more toward the soft, creamy style of ice cream.

Taiwan's ice culture demonstrates remarkable inclusivity, as rich and diverse as the island's own history. From initially utilizing the subtropical region's abundant fruit resources, to absorbing ice-making techniques introduced during Japanese rule, to innovative developments after Taiwan's retrocession, the island's ice culture has continuously evolved. Throughout this process, Taiwanese have shown remarkable creativity and adaptability, skillfully incorporating both local and foreign ingredients into their frozen treats.

When it comes to ice consumption, the 1930s to 1970s marked Taiwan's most flourishing ice era—most of the old-style ice treats commonly used in marketing today originated from this period. Around the 1930s, Taiwan's ice parlors functioned much like Japanese kissaten (coffee shops), serving as social spaces that sold not only shaved ice and fruit platters, but beverages as well. In Tainan, where ice shops were particularly numerous, the still-operating Hesing Ice House continues to serve the banana ice that has been on their menu since opening day.

The Flourishing Revival of Shaved Ice

Shaved ice isn't limited to just banana flavoring and sugar water. Bi-thai-bak (rice noodles) made from aged rice pushed through rice sieves can be prepared sweet or savory, making them useful year-round. Bi-thai-bak ice, which combines rice-based ingredients with frozen treats, offers a chewy, smooth texture that's especially refreshing and filling during summer months.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's beloved popsicles, "ba-pu" ice, snowflake shaved ice, and bubble ice all conquered the island's cooling beverage industry in the 1950s. Ice parlors, taro ice shops, sugar factories, and even mobile vendors cycling around with ice—who would gamble dice games with passersby to determine serving sizes—all demonstrate that ice is truly indispensable to Taiwanese food culture.

So what distinctive ice treats can be found across Taiwan? Starting with northern Taiwan's Keelung, the most representative would be bubble ice. While there are various claims about which shop invented bubble ice, what's known is that it's made by continuously stirring fine ice mixed with flavorings, creating a uniform, smooth, and creamy texture. With its numerous flavors, bubble ice often leaves customers struggling to choose.

However, when it comes to ice shop culture, Tainan can be said to have the most surviving old-style ice shops. For example, some establishments display abundant fruits in their storefronts, serving seasonal fruit platters, while their menus range from plain ice and fruit ice to chocolate pudding milk ice.

Neighboring Kaohsiung is the stronghold of taro ice. Simply crossing the purple-painted Jiashian Bridge signals entry into Jiashian District. The area's taro is quite renowned, giving rise to various taro-related specialties, with taro ice shops lining the streets. Establishments like Taroking Taro Ice Cream Shop, Sun Crown King Taro House, and First Taro Ice City each have their devoted followers. What they all share is taro ice with actual taro chunks—rich in flavor with a fluffy, soft texture.

Local Ice, Local Terroir

Kaohsiung isn't the only place developing ice treats from local agricultural products—Taitung's sugar apple ice is also made using the region's abundant sugar apple harvest. The softer, riper sugar apples are frozen and packaged in zip-lock bags, reminiscent of how traditional mung bean ice is also packaged.

Beyond the main island, Penghu's cactus ice is beloved by tourists for its vibrant red color and sweet-tart flavor. However, making cactus ice is no easy task—ice vendors must venture to coastal wilds to harvest prickly pear fruits, dodging cactus spines and then painstakingly removing the tiny thorns inside the fruit that locals nickname "mute thorns."

Next time you visit Penghu, don't just try the cactus ice—there's also wild fengru (Glossocardia bidens) ice, aloe ice, and the many competing versions of grass jelly ice, each with their own distinctive character.

Historic ice treats with cultural significance reflect the evolution of eras. As time has progressed to the modern age, the complexity of ice-making has increased considerably. Arvin Wan, the world's first Michelin-starred ice cream chef, probably never imagined that creating ice flavors from Taiwanese ingredients like crown daisy, wild ginger flower, and winter melon would one day earn him a Michelin star.

Taiwan's ice history is still being written, so it wouldn't be surprising at all if one day we see Taiwanese ice elements appearing overseas!