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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Havaí
Finely shaved ice with a snow-like texture, drizzled with fruit syrups such as guava, passion fruit, mango, and coconut. It arrived in Hawaii with Japanese plantation workers.
Traditional sweet from Havaí
Also known as: shave ice havaiano
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Shave ice — Havaí, the United States
Shave ice comes from the Japanese kakigōri, shaved ice with syrup. It was brought to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants who came to work on the sugarcane plantations from the late 19th century. By the early 20th century, small family-run shops were already selling shaved ice to the workers, and for a long time it was a Sunday treat, the day off on the plantations.
The name is Hawaiian English, the pidgin: shave ice, not shaved ice. The difference is also in the texture: the ice is shaved on a blade until it becomes as fine as snow and absorbs the syrup, instead of being ground into grains like common snow cones.
The flavors are those of the islands — guava, passion fruit (lilikoʻi), mango, coconut, lychee — and some people order it with ice cream underneath, sweet azuki beans, or condensed milk on top. It’s sold at stands, small shops, and trucks near beaches and in small towns.
Finely shaved ice; fruit syrups (guava, passion fruit, mango, coconut, lychee); optionally ice cream, sweet azuki beans, or condensed milk.
Served in a cup or paper cone, with a spoon and straw, immediately after being made.
Year‑round; very popular on hot days and after the beach.
Your questions
In shave ice, the ice is shaved on a blade until it becomes as fine as snow and absorbs the syrup; in a typical snow cone, the ice is ground into grains.
From the Japanese kakigōri, brought to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants who worked on the sugarcane plantations.
The island fruits, such as guava, passion fruit, mango, coconut, and lychee.
Flavors of the United States
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