And Don’t Call it a Snow Cone.

One of the best treats when visiting Hawaii is cooling down with shave ice! Read the Hawaiian shave ice history and why you should not call it a snow cone.

Hawaiian Shave Ice History

It all started in the snow-capped mountains in Japan centuries ago. Some say 800s BC while others say 600s AD. In any case, the history is old.

Japanese would bring down ice blocks from the mountains, shave them with their swords, and top them with a sweet syrup. As this ice was considered a rare luxury and stored in ice houses and caves, this shaved ice was reserved solely for royalty. This was the original Japanese kakigori.

Fast forward to the 1920s when tens of thousands of Japanese immigrants journeyed to Hawaii and worked on sugar and pineapple plantations. They were fascinated with the island’s variety of tropical fruits with which they made purees and syrups to top on their shave ice. At that time the ice blocks were shaved with machetes. Later, hand-cranked drill presses were developed and are still used today.

Now as far as the difference between shave ice and snow cones, it does matter. Shave ice is in its name – it is shaved. Snow cones are crushed. This difference alone affects ice’s powdery, fluffy, crunchy textures.

Sign up for my newsletter on the sidebar for blog updates and my travel insider tips! And, check out my vlogs on YouTube!