Taiwanese shaved ice

What it is

Fine, fluffy shaved ice piled in a bowl and covered with toppings such as adzuki beans, mung beans, tapioca and fruit, then sweetened with sugar syrup or condensed milk. Eight-treasure ice (八寶冰) combines several house-cooked toppings, and chewy tangyuan rice balls are a favourite.

Where it comes from

Shaved ice reached Taiwan during Japanese rule. Ice was once crushed by hand with a mallet or shaved with a blade. Most shops now use machines that make finer shavings. Chiang Shui Hao in Tainan traces its start to open-air food stalls set up behind the West Market in the Japanese era.

How it is made

Ice is shaved by machine into fine flakes and topped with beans, rice balls and other toppings that the better shops cook by hand, then finished with syrup.

How to eat it

Choose your toppings at the counter or order a set combination. Many dessert shops sell the same toppings as hot or cold sweet soups.

In Tainan

Tainan's Guohua Street has two old names: Chiang Shui Hao, now in its third generation, and Yuan Zai Hui, more than 50 years old and known for its tangyuan. In Yanshui, Yin Feng tops red bean milk ice with a raw egg yolk and is remembered locally as a place for matchmaking dates. In Kaohsiung, He Chun in Linyuan has served tangyuan over ice for about 70 years.