Bingsu has similar origins to sorbet, with fruit- and milk-flavored ice-based confectionary documented as far back as 400 BCE in Ancient Persia and China.4 The earliest known documentation of ice-based desserts within Korea existed during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) which employed the use of crushed ice with various fruits, and were distributed from the ancient Korean ice storage called seokbinggo (Korean: 석빙고). 56
After the Korean War, with the introduction of condensed milk, syrup, and chocolate from the United States, Korean bingsu began to be more diverse. Western influences after the Korean War 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.78
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.9
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.1011
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.12
Shaved ice § Regions, for similar shaved ice variations around the world.
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팥빙수[氷水] [Patbingsu]. Doopedia (in Korean). Doosan Corporation. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2014. 팥빙수[氷水] ↩
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"Get ready for patbingsu: Red beans over shaved ice". The Jeju Weekly. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20140106034544/http://www.jejuweekly.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=1888 ↩
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