No matter where in the world you live, hot summer days call for a cold, icy dessert. In the middle ages, people in what is now the Middle East collected ice from the top of mountains and stored it in caves for use in icy drinks during the summer. Sherbeth, an Arabic word, morphed into Italian sorbet and Sicilian granita. Similarly, in Japan, a dessert known as kakigori has been made for centuries by storing ice formed in the winter.
As these crushed or shaved ice (known as "shave ice") desserts have travelled around the world, they've incorporated new flavors and expanded on local techniques to create new iterations of the concept. From a minimalist Japanese kakigori to an overstuffed Filipino halo halo, here's where to find these polycultural creations in Los Angeles.
Kakigori traces its roots to the 11th century when ice formed during the winter was stored in icehouses and shaved during the summer into luxurious concoctions for aristocrats. Kakigori is made with pure ice, not flavored ice or juices, then drizzled with syrup. Traditional kakigori is topped with amazura-sen, a syrup made with ivy sap, but fruit-based syrups are much more common these days. While all kinds of kakigori are available now, the classic Japanese version focuses on perfecting its few ingredients. High-end purveyors refine their water or boast about the mineral water they use. (Nobu and Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills use Fiji Water.) You'll also find the dessert at okonomiyaki chain Chinchinkurin and fancy-pants restaurant Majordomo, which offers one seasonal flavor of kakigori on its dessert menu.
Koreans have enjoyed crushed or shaved ice since the Joseon dynasty but pat bing soo supposedly originated in the early 1900s, during the period of Japanese rule, and consisted of kakigori with red bean paste. "Bing soo" means shave ice while "pat" refers to red bean in Korean. Modern variations can be flavored with fruit or matcha but traditional versions are typically topped with red bean paste, tteok (rice cake) and misugaru (multi-grain) powder. Koreatown has many spots to find the stuff — old school tea houses like Hwa Sun Ji, popular bingsoo cafe chain Mealtop and Oakobing, a dessert shop that serves the more modern and minimalist version of the dish.
Halo halo, which means "mix mix" in Tagalog, is the national dessert of the Philippines. Believed to have originated from kakigori by way of Japanese migrants to Manila in the 1920s, halo halo incorporates local Filipino ingredients such as ube, coconut, beans, jackfruit and other fruit, which are then topped with evaporated milk. For an old school version, head to Neri's or LA Rose Café. B Sweet offers a modern variation with 13 ingredients including fruits, jellies and leche flan. Sari Sari Store in the Grand Central Market makes a fantastic version with fresh, seasonal fruit.
Hawaiian shave ice also has its roots in kakigori. The treat found its way to Hawaii via Japanese migrants who came to work on the sugar plantations. It became popular in the 1940s thanks to Japanese-owned grocery stores. Eventually, the dessert adopted tropical flavors like pineapple and guava. In its simplest form, Hawaiian shave ice is a cone of fluffy, finely shaved ice topped with tropical fruit syrups. You can include a scoop of vanilla ice cream at the bottom or top it with a "snow cap," a drizzle of condensed milk. Get some at Coolest Boba and Shave Ice or Brian's Shave Ice, which has a few locations around town.
Taiwan levelled up the shaved ice game by inventing shaved snow. It's made by freezing lowfat milk infused with flavors such as green tea or mango, then shaving it into thin, fluffy ribbons. It's can be topped with fresh fruit, condensed milk, mochi, cookies and candy. Class 302, which now has multiple locations in L.A. and Orange counties, was one of the first SoCal spots to get Taiwanese shaved snow.
Es teler (or ice teler) is one of Indonesia's favorite desserts, which makes sense given the country's hot and humid weather. "Teler" means drunk or high. When the dessert was created in the early 1980s, Indonesian teens would say it was so good it gave them a buzz. Es teler typically consists of a bowl of crushed ice topped with young coconut, jackfruit, avocado, coconut milk and condensed milk. Simpang Asia uses cream but you can also try the old school version at Wong Java House in Alhambra.
Unlike the other shaved ice creations on this list, Italian ice isn't made by adding flavor to ice but by freezing a liquid mixture of water and fruit juices or purees. "Italian ice" is actually an American invention, invented in 1915 by an Italian immigrant in New Jersey who wanted to recreate the granitas she had back in her home country. Despite containing no dairy, Italian ice has a creamier texture than Sicilian granita. Some of L.A.'s best can be found at Italian Ice Shoppe and at Sonny's Amazing Italian Ices and Cremes. Italian Ice Shoppe also sells their wine-flavored ices at Malibu Wine and Beer Garden. The chain Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness makes a credible version and has multiple locations in SoCal.
Mexican Raspado
Raspado comes from the Spanish word "raspar," which means to scrape, as it was traditionally scraped by hand. These days, shops rely on machines. Raspados typically have a coarser texture than Hawaiian or Japanese shave ice and are topped with fruit or nut-based syrups. You'll often see them made with the savory and spicy condiment chamoy along with mango and tamarind. Bionicos Daisy is known for its chamango, a blended version that combines chamoy with mango and is topped with fresh mango slices. Raspados don Manuel in Boyle Heights is beloved for its raspado de nuez (walnuts). In L.A., raspado shops are ubiquitous and can be found in tons of neighborhoods.
Malaysian Ice Kacang
The name ice kacang refers to the red beans used in this dessert, which became a Penang staple after Chinese immigrants opened roadside stalls to sell them. A Penang ice kacang is also topped with sweet corn and attap chee (nipa palm fruits) but kacang doesn't just mean beans. The same term is used for peanuts and many shops add them to the dessert, along with the other toppings such as grass jelly, evaporated milk and palm sugar. Malaysian food is hard to come by in L.A. so you'll need to head to Orange County for ice kacang. You can find it at Seasons Kitchen in Anaheim and Belacan Grill in Tustin.
