Hawaiian shave ice

Matsumoto Shave Ice, a well-known shave ice destination in Oahu[1]

The history of Hawaiian shave ice can be traced back to one particular ice-based dessert that originates from Japan’s Heian period, which spans the 8th century through 12th century, A.D.[2] This dessert is known as kakigōri and was once reserved for the wealthy because of the complex production process of ice, which was only accessible in the winter and refrigeration relied on natural sources like ice houses.[2]

During the early 1900s of the Meiji period, the development of new technologies allowed ice to be cheaply made and stored, leading for greater consumption among various types of people.[2][3] Around the same time, sugar plantations prolifically developed across Hawaii and many people from Asian countries relocated to the Hawaii islands in hopes of a steady income.[2] The Japanese were among this immigrant population and brought with them their traditional ice-based dessert called kakigōri.[2]

Waiola Shave Ice, one of Hawaii's oldest shave ice shops, was founded in 1940.[4]

In Hawaiian Pidgin, a native Hawaiian language, kakigōri became known as shave ice.[1] Shave ice was first sold by Japanese immigrants to plantation workers in the early 1900s and became a regular product in many Japanese owned grocery stores by the 1950s.[5] The rise of shave ice coincided with the increasing significance of ice in Hawaiian history as shown in trade agreements between the United States and the Territory of Hawaii where numerous references are made to this important commodity.[6] Because ice signified status and provided comfort to settlers on the island, it was an essential factor in the U.S. colonization of Hawaii.[6][7]

Hawaiian shave ice sales began to rise in the 1950s and 60s with the arrival of Californian surfers. By the 1990s, shave ice stores, such as Oahu's Matsumoto Shave Ice and Waiola Shave Ice stores garnered the attention of international visitors.[8] Matsumoto's has been featured in news networks all around the world including Food Network and the Travel Channel.[8] It can have wait times of over half an hour, and sell more than 1,000 shave ice treats a day and 326,400 shave ices in a year.[1][9][6]

There are many variations of shave ice that can also be found in Hawaii.[6] Shave ice in its simplest form is composed of thinly shaved ice and syrup served in a cup, paper cone, or bowl.[10][5][11][12][13] Distinct from snow cones that use crushed ice, the ice for Hawaiian shave ice is thinly shaved to create a unique texture that is more powdery and snow-like.[1][10][14] Additionally, the thin ice shavings can absorb syrups better than crushed ice.[5][11] The ice can be made in house by freezing pure water in containers very slowly over a period of days, while constantly agitating the mixture to ensure impurities are not incorporated.[15]

Syrups used for Hawaiian shave ice include banana, pineapple, lychee, kiwifruit, mango, passionfruit, guava, and coconut

Traditional syrups are made from sugar, flavoring extracts, and additional coloring elements with acid incorporated to enhance preservation.[10] Syrups are often flavored with local ingredients such as banana, pineapple, lilikoi (passionfruit), guava, lychee, kiwifruit, mango, and coconut cream, and are found in other regions around the world, such as in bingsu (Korean), tshuah-ping (Taiwanese), and halo-halo (Filipino) shave ice variants.[10][5][16][11] Bubble gum, vanilla, lemon-lime, green tea, strawberry, cherry, grape, watermelon, coke, root beer, and fruit punch have also been incorporated into syrups for shave ice. New syrup flavors are constantly being developed including more unusual ones such as li hing mui (salty dried Chinese plums), melona, ginger, and pickled mango.[10][6][17] These syrups are often quite vibrant with certain colors traditionally representing specific flavors, such as blue for coconut.[10] These color-flavor associations enable customers to order syrups by color instead of using their flavors for reference. When many different colors of syrups are combined, it is referred to as “kalakoa” which means calico in Hawaiian.[10]

Additional ingredients that lie underneath the ice flakes are often called “unders” and must be added to the cup, cone, or bowl before shaving the ice on top.[10] Traditional “unders” include sweetened red azuki beans, fresh fruits, and ice cream.[10][5][16][2] Hawaiian shave ice is also often accompanied by toppings such as mochi balls, li hing mui (salty dried Chinese plums) powder, fresh fruits, and ice cream.[10][1] A “snowcap” specifically refers to topping shave ice with sweetened condensed milk.[5][11]

Ice cake was popular in the past on Hawaiian sugar plantation camps. Unlike shave ice, the ice for ice cake is served directly out of the freezer. The ice cubes for this treat consist of a mixture of condensed milk, syrup, and water and are frozen in aluminum ice cube trays.[10]