Author Chris van Laak
Photographer Chris van Laak, I-mei Foods, ShaoMei, Pecos
Editor Chih Yi Chen
September is, as usual, the month for obituaries to summer and all its joys. Maybe your (other) favorite magazine or site has already run one of those obituaries, usually not without trying to remind you that the upcoming, pumpkin-spiced cozy season is not too bad either.
Unfazed by all of this, summer in Taiwan is getting its annual extra time.
In a best-case scenario, that means temperatures are dropping slightly and those among us who have spent as much time as possible in the past few months in air-conditioned environments can now venture outside again—maybe not right away for a big adventure in the “great outdoors,” but for something less sweat-inducing, such as an ice cream date with a special someone.
In the shadow of a giant
Shaved ice reigns supreme in Taiwan. One might argue that the frozen delicacy is native to the region, with Japanese sources first mentioning the dessert in the 11th century and Chinese sources from about the same time describing a similar treat. Much has been said about shaved ice and many eateries have been crowned the best place for the dessert, but other, maybe “less-native” frozen delicacies deserve the spotlight as well.
For example, Taiwan offers some unique ice cream flavors, from the Michelin-starred MINIMAL in Taichung, the first-ever ice cream parlor to receive a star from the French arbiter of sophisticated taste, to the humble offerings at chain convenience stores.
Ice cream became popular in Taiwan soon after electric refrigeration became possible. Local companies that set out to become Taiwanese mainstays, such as I-Mei(義美食品)or Uni President (統一企業), soon began to dominate the market, with flavors adapted to what Taiwanese knew and loved, and what visitors who are used to the “international ice cream standard” might find intriguingly odd: Red beans, peanuts and taro, for example.
Taiwanese staples
Over the years, it seems that red beans have gained an edge over their staple peers.
At the 7-Eleven near my home, you can find four different red bean-flavored ice cream popsicles. The one from I-Mei is the most classic among them. It is small, cheap and red beans dominate the palate, exactly as it’s supposed to be. The package says 義美紅豆牛奶冰棒(I-Mei Hongdou Niunai Bingbang) and has, just as most of the others, no accurate English translation. It has white and light-brown diagonal stripes, which should help you find it.
Under the name 瑞穗鮮乳紅豆雪糕 (Ruisui xian ru hongdou xuegao in Mandarin) and in a package that’s mostly white, comes a slightly milkier version of the classic. That makes sense, considering that Ruisui (瑞穗鮮乳, also known as Mizuho) is one of Taiwan’s biggest milk brands. In the popsicle, the texture of red beans is less pronounced, but I personally also don’t find it creamy and milky enough to satisfy any other cravings of mine.
The other two mix red beans with another classic flavor. From I-Mei comes the 義美紅豆粉粿牛奶冰棒 (Hongdou fen guo niunai bingbang in Mandarin), which has almost the same package as its “purist” sibling, except that this one also features a depiction of a bowl of yellow pearls. Those are pieces of taro mochi, and even though they add little to its flavor, they add another interesting texture to the mix.
Another popsicle, the 小美紅豆粉粿（Xiao mei hongdou fen guo bingbang in Mandarin） from the Shaomei brand (小美冰淇淋）, blends the same flavors, but it’s texture is less creamy and rather resembles sorbet. Red beans are strong on this one, as is the bold red color of its package.
While the latter two already cover taro, there is only one kind of peanut-flavored ice cream that I found in the nearest 7-Eleven, as well as multiple other convenience stores in my area. It is the Peanut Milk Ice Lolly (原味本舖花生牛奶冰棒) from the Uni President-owned Pecos brand. It was introduced to the market later than the other classics, as part of a line of popsicles that offer a new take on old favorites. They also include pineapple, lemon and, to my surprise, red bean. I could not find it at any convenience store near me, hence the surprise.
In terms of taste, peanut milk in its traditional Taiwanese version is indeed the closest reference point to the Pecos ice lolly. It has a sorbet-like texture, and I would personally prefer a creamier take on the classic, but this is, as you might have already noticed, something that I often complain about.
The real deal(s)
So what if you like what’s on offer at your local convenience store, but still feel like there’s something missing? Maybe it’s indeed the milk-factor, or just that you wonder what a “home-made” version of your favorite classic would taste like.
In the shadow of all the Cold Stone Creamery and Häagen Dazs franchises, some old-school ice cream parlors still exist in Taiwan. They offer exactly what you might be searching for. My favorite one is Beimen Fengli Bing (北門鳳李冰), an unassuming shop in an alley near Zhongxiao Dunhua MRT Station. For NT$55 you can get a large cup, or rather bucket, of freshly made peanut, taro and red bean ice cream, as well as other traditional flavors, such as salted plum. With a small red sign with the shop’s name in Chinese, it would be easy to miss the place if it weren’t for the owner’s two cats who often spend their day in front of the shop, one of whom is very “outspoken” about advertising ice cream to passersby.
Meanwhile, if you, too, like it milky, Taiwan’s best offering can be found in a surprising place: The on-campus convenience store of the National Taiwan University Staff and Students’ Cooperative (臺大合作社). The university’s agriculture department runs a dairy farm for educational purposes and turns what it inevitably produces into, among other things, ice cream. The store only sells one flavor: milk.
And it delivers. Where else can you get ice cream in a convenience store that was produced within the past few days, without any additives, without being watered down to cut costs or placate the flavor-wise faint of heart?
All the others
If you ask a Taiwanese in their 30s about what ice cream they grew up eating, chances are high they’ll mention the Poki Pudding Ice Bar (布丁雪糕), a creamy custard-based popsicle topped with caramel. Here, the texture, which is unlike any other ice cream in Taiwan, is really the highlight.
Meanwhile, if you ask a night market fan about their favorite, chances are high they’ll mention the infamous peanut ice cream roll (花生捲冰淇淋), which, according to local lore, a vendor in Yilan invented by replacing the savory filling of his run bing (潤餅). The other ingredients remained the same though: In its basic version that is peanut brittle and cilantro, the latter of which really adds something to the flavor profile that I haven’t found anywhere else in the world.
Many night markets have vendors that sell it, and if I want one I usually go to Ningxia Night Market in central Taipei.
I might go there after finishing this article.
