22nd July 2021
Kakigōri is shaved / shredded ice and it is a summer snack. It is ice that is shredded by a machine and it usually has flavoured syrup poured on it.
Common flavours include Melon, Lemon and one called Blue Hawaii. You can buy kakegōri in supermarkets and convenience stores and it is difficult to find a summer festival without a kakigōri stall. If buying it at a festival or a cafe you buy it with a spoon and eat it there.
宇治金時 (ujikintoki) is a maccha one that is popular. It has maccha syrup poured on the ice, with sweetened azuki bean paste balls in the cup alongside the ice. Another popular flavour is いちご練乳 (ichigorennyū) – a milk and strawberry one. The ice is mixed with condensed milk and it becomes softer, fluffier and the colour changes to white.
There are some cafes or speciality kakigōri shops that sell unusual types, such as sweet potato sauce ones or ones served with pieces of fruit among many other types.
You can also buy your own machine to shave the ice at home. There are electrical machines and manual (hand powered) ones.
■ We have an ice snack called ~ in ~.
■ What kakigōri flavour do you like?
■ Which would you choose, icecream or kakigōri?
■ Do you know maccha?
■ These days ~ is popular. It is made from ~ .