Ajumma's Journal: patbingsu

It's so confusing - google this summertime treat and one finds a wide array of patbingsu in various shapes, concoctions and colours ( some can rival the psychedelic hues of a 1970s go-go garment). Patbingsu seems to grow more complex with each summer so it got me wondering about the traditional, authentic version which the halmeonis still regard with fondness.

An interesting article in the Korean Times reminds me that:
"...modern refrigeration was still a rarity (in Korea) until as late as the 1960s...Blocks of ice from the frozen Han River would be stored in piles of sawdust until the hot summer months arrived. Ice was even once managed by official government offices....Tubs filled with salt water ( were used) to keep the ice ( treats) from melting and street cart vendors would shave the blocks by hand and sell their goods to neighborhood children directly from the stand."

Ingredients like red beans were considered luxuries in the past so the original recipes were regarded as real treats generations earlier. In the poor old days, young Korean children could only look forward to shaved ice topped with red beans, rice cakes and ground nut powders. These days, though, they would look like poor country cousins next to the fancilful Haagen-Daaz or Lotte mart versions.

Some of the toppings now include: fresh or/ and canned fruits, ice-cream, sweet corn, chocolate chips, cereal flakes, chewy jelly bits, yoghurt, condensed milk, green tea powder and so on. I've even seen one webpage mention red wine! Wonder when the Koreans will globalise this seasonal dleight or be influenced by other cultures and start putting durian puree on their patbingsu.

One writer from the JoongAng Daily claims to have "sampled the most authentic patbingsu" at Wallpaper, a Pan-European cafe in Samcheong-dong, northern Seoul. So what makes one patbingsu "more authentic" than another? Obviously, much ado is made of the freshness and texture of the main ingredients.

The reporter points out, "Often bakeries and dessert shops make the culinary faux-pas of using special rice cakes for patbingsu that come in frozen packets. Here, the rice cake is fresh and moist as if it had just come out of a steamer. But most importantly, the ice is ground to perfection. The particles are smooth with a slight milky flavor, and the bowl gets emptied so quickly, the ice hasn’t even melted."

Perhaps the most sublime version of patbingsu can be found or made several thousand kilometres outside Korea. Much to my surprise, the Korean researchers at the King Sejong Station, a research base in the Antarctic still have a liking for this cold dessert despite living daily with sub-zero temperatures. The chef attached to the base uses icebergs for the shavings. But if you prefer some real down-to-earth patbingsu, take the cue from some researchers who like to spread the red beans on the pristine snow and eat the mixture with their hands.