A BRIEF HISTORY OF SHAVE ICE

SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2022

A lot of people think of Shave Ice as a Hawaiian delicacy.  They’re not wrong,  but many don’t realize that this refreshing snack has its roots tracing way back to Japan.  Here’s a brief history of this well known dessert.

Japan

The history of Hawaiian shave ice can be traced back to one particular ice-based dessert that originates from Japan’s Heian period, which spanned the 8th century through 12th century, A.D. This dessert was 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.

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. Around the same time, sugar plantations prolifically developed across Hawaii and many people from Asian countries relocated to the Hawaiian islands in hopes of a steady income. The Japanese were among this immigrant population and brought their traditional ice-based dessert kakigōri, with them.

Hawaii

In Hawaiian Pidgin, a simplified speech used for communication among the immigrants with different languages, kakigōri became known as shave ice. 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.  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. Numerous references are made to this important commodity.  Because ice signified status and provided comfort to settlers on the island, it was an essential factor in the U.S. colonization of Hawaii.