Introduction to Various Types of Taiwanese ice Treats
Taiwanese Ice Treats
Babu Ice Cream
Babu ice cream is the childhood memory of a lot of people in Taiwan. Vendors usually ride their bikes from town to town, honking the horn that sounds like “Babu”. Children are always excited when they hear the sound because it is time for some ice cream. Babu ice cream was invented during the Japanese colonial period and it plays an important part of ice cream history in Taiwan. Taiwanese people often put babu ice cream inside an egg shell container,and it becomes another Taiwan traditional ice treat, Ji Dan Bing.
Pau Pau Ice
Pau pau ice is a special type of ice, which originated and is popular in Keelung, Taiwan. To make this type of ice, add shaved ice and different ingredients together and stir them until they are all combined. This special type of ice, flossy ice, has all its ingredients mixed together, unlike other types of ice treats. The taste of it is soft, rich and often sweet. Pau pau ice is very common and can be found in ice cream stores and night markets across Taiwan.
Zhi Zai Ice (Ki-a-ping)
枝仔冰 Zhi Zai Ice (Ki-A-Peng)
Zhi Zai ice can only be found in Taiwan. It is a long frozen snack food, and it has different flavors. This ice was developed in Kaohsiung in 1926. There was no refrigerator at the time, so eating popsicles was a way to quench the summer heat. Actually, Zhi Zai Ice has a nickname “Ki A Peng,” which is pronounced in Taiwanese dialect because the inventor transformed a small stall into a restaurant named “Ki A Peng House.” Ki A Peng’s unique taste and texture attract local residents. Especially, it uses the traditional fruits in Taiwan as the ingredients, representing the Taiwanese style. Afterwards, these homemade frozen treats have expanded to include different types of ice desserts. Would you like to try some?
Tofu Ice Cream
Tofu ice is a really special ice where you put ice and tofu together. We put a gigantic tofu and other ingredients on top of ice. Tofu ice originally came from South Taiwan, but you can find it everywhere in Taiwan now. Can you imagine the taste of it ?
Shaved Ice
Shaved ice is the most familiar ice in Taiwan. To seek its history of development, it dates back to the time when the Japanese colonized Taiwan, which was a long time ago. The Japanese demonstrated us the methods of making the original flavored ice. After that, this ice started evolving into the official shaved ice. To manufacture shaved ice, we load a gigantic block of ice into a traditional machine, then spin rapidly over the blade. The ice will turn into fluffy snow-like mounds. It is served piled high with different ingredients like mango, grass jelly, and fruit syrup. Shaved ice is one of the necessities that people always have when they visit Taiwan. You can find it almost everywhere. It truly represents Taiwan.