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Snow cone

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Snow cone with cherry syrup

A snow cone or snowball is a dessert usually made of crushed or shaved ice, flavored with sweet, usually fruit-flavored, brightly colored syrup. Snow cones are vastly inferior to shave ice as snow cones are made of crushed ice rather than shaved ice which is more like actual snow. In most cases the flavoring on snow cones sinks to the bottom of the cone and by the time you get to it at the bottom enough ice has melted to dilute the flavor enough so as not to be at all sweet.

History

A Hawaiian "Shave Ice" machine

Ancient Japanese literature from the Heian period (794 to 1185) talks about snow cones made by hand with a ice carving device.[1]The first mechanical snow cone-making machine in Japan was patented by mr Murakami in 1887[2].

Samuel Bert of Dallas sold shaved ice at the State Fair of Texas in 1919, and he designed a snow cone-making machine in 1920. Bert was a fixture at the State Fair, selling his snow cones there (and selling his machines worldwide) until his death in 1984.[3]

In 1934, inventor Ernest Hansen designed an "ice block shaver" in New Orleans, Louisiana.[4] He was inspired to create a more refined and hygienic version of the popular Italian ice sold from push-carts in the city. His wife Mary created many flavors of fresh syrups to flavor his finely shaved artificial "snow". "

Usually, snow cones are sold at stadiums and coliseums, and by ice cream vans or by car peddlers at parks.

Ice for snow cones is either crushed by hand or with specialized ice-crushing machines. The snow cone, in contrast to the Icee and Slurpee, is not a frozen carbonated beverage.

Similar confections

Kids with shave ice treat.

In Cuba and many Cuban neighborhoods, they are known as "granizados," after the Spanish word granizo for hailstones. In Miami neighborhoods, they are often sold in conjunction with other frozen confections in ice cream trucks and stands throughout the city. A classic Cuban flavoring for granizados is anise, made from extracts of the star anise spice.

File:Nina and her Piragua2.JPG
Child enjoying a "Piragua" in Puerto Rico

In Puerto Rico and many Puerto Rican neighborhoods, they are named "Piragua", because they are made in pyramid shapes and agua means water in Spanish. Most Puerto Rican snow cone vendors use street snow cone carts instead of fixed stands or kiosks. During the summer months in Puerto Rican neighborhoods, especially in New York and Philadelphia, "piragua" carts are often found on the streets and attract many customers.

In Hawaii, "shave ice" is similar to snow cones, and is sold in cone-shaped paper cups. "Rainbow," a popular flavor, consists of three different colors of syrup chosen usually for their color rather than their taste compatibility. The ice is often shaved more finely than with other snow cones so that the syrup colors are retained longer, providing for a better presentation. Commonly, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or sweetened azuki beans is first added to the bottom of the cup, and is capped with condensed milk.

In Mexico and south Texas, a finely shaved and syruped ice is called a raspa, or raspado.[5] Raspar is Spanish for "scrape"; hence raspado means, roughly, "scraped ice." Raspas come in a wide range of fruit flavors and classic Mexican flavors, such as leche (sweetened milk with cinnamon), picocito (lemon and chili powder), chamoy (fruits and chili sauce), cucumber, guanabana, guava, pistachio, tamarind, among others.

In Lebanon, snowcones (المخروط الثلج) are widely known for their religious purposes in Maronite Catholicism. They are served to children entering their teenage years, prior to their confirmation in the Church. This practice dates back to the early 1960s, and was first began by Father Francis Ephrem Boustany, a priest in Bkerke, Lebanon. Today, snowcones are not limited to the Church. They are a popular summertime treat among both Maronites and Muslims.

In Colombia and Venezuela it is known as raspado or raspao, literally meaning scraped. It is usually made from crushed ice and fruit syrup topped with condensed milk. When these ingredients are combined with fresh fruit it is called cholado.

In the Dominican Republic and many Dominican neighborhoods, snow cones are called "frío frío" or sometimes "yun yun". "Frío" is the Spanish for "cold," and "yun" is an onomatopoeic term for the sound made when scraping a block of ice.

The dessert ice kachang served in Malaysia and Singapore is another form of shaved ice. Ice kachang originally was served with red beans but now includes various fruits and other sweet toppings.

Shaving ice from a 5-pound block produces a fluffy, as opposed to granular, treat known as Shave Ice. This method of preparation ensures a more even distribution of the flavored syrup.

Snow cones are sometimes confused with "Italian ices" or "water ices", but some water ice lovers distinguish between the two: As Eva Chen explained, snow cones are generally flavored after production, at the point of sale, whereas water ices are flavored as the ice is made.

In El Salvador and other countries of the Region, they are known as "Minutas"

In Japan they are known as Kakigori.

In Peru they are known as "cremolada" and in some parts of the country as "raspadilla".

In Venezuela they are called Cepillados and are topped with condensed milk.

In South Asia, snow cones are enjoyed as a low-cost summer treat, often shaved by hand and served on a stick or a cup. In Pakistan it is often referred to as 'Gola ganda' (Urdu: گولا گنڈا) and in India as 'Juski'.

Flavors

Syrups used for Hawaiian shave ice

Popular color and flavor mixes

Popular toppings and addons

  • Azuki bean
  • Condensed milk on top
  • Chocolate syrup on top
  • Frozen juices mixed in
  • Ice Cream in the middle (stuffed snowball)
  • Li Hing Mui Powder
  • Marshmallow on top
  • Mochi

See also

References

  1. ^ History of snow cones http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8B%E3%81%8D%E6%B0%B7#.E6.AD.B4.E5.8F.B2
  2. ^ Ice carving device http://www.water.go.jp/honsya/honsya/referenc/material/dougu/18.html
  3. ^ Texas, The Lone Star State: Snow Cone
  4. ^ "History of Snow Cones" page of ePopcorn.com.
  5. ^ Amy Chozick[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204271104574292271941413940.html One Hundred Years of Craving Snow Cones From Texas to Tokyo], a reporter finds solace in the sweet and cold July 18, 2009, Wall Street Journal

http://www.thefrigidfrog.com

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