Kezurihi — shaved ice with amazura syrup
Finely shaved ice, mounded in a silver cup, over which a stream of amazura syrup is poured at serving. Cool, melting, barely sweet, with a hint of vine and a touch of citrus.
Finely shaved ice, mounded in a silver cup, over which a stream of amazura syrup is poured at serving. Cool, melting, barely sweet, with a hint of vine and a touch of citrus.
If there is one elegant thing in this world, it is this. The ice from winter has been kept buried in the icehouse, and now in the height of summer my maids shave it into snow and pile it into a brand-new metal bowl. Pour over it, only at the last moment, a little amazura — not before, or the snow collapses. Taste: it is the cold of the mountain and the sweetness of the vine united in a cup. Nothing is more delicate, nor more fleeting.
- •Ice stored in himuro — one block (shaved base)
- •Amazura (vine syrup) — a stream (signature sweetness)
Kezurihi — shaved ice with amazura syrup
Finely shaved ice, mounded in a silver cup, over which a stream of amazura syrup is poured at serving. Cool, melting, barely sweet, with a hint of vine and a touch of citrus.
Why this dish? This is THE frozen dessert of Teishi's court: in her Pillow Book, her lady Sei Shōnagon lists among 'elegant things' shaved ice drizzled with vine syrup and served in a new metal bowl. An extreme luxury, since ice had to be stored from winter in icehouses (himuro).
If there is one elegant thing in this world, it is this. The ice from winter has been kept buried in the icehouse, and now in the height of summer my maids shave it into snow and pile it into a brand-new metal bowl. Pour over it, only at the last moment, a little amazura — not before, or the snow collapses. Taste: it is the cold of the mountain and the sweetness of the vine united in a cup. Nothing is more delicate, nor more fleeting.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ice stored in himuro — one block (shaved base)
- Amazura (vine syrup) — a stream (signature sweetness)
Ingredients
- Ice cubes (or block of ice) — 300 g (base to shave)
- Rice syrup or light maple syrup (if amazura unavailable) — 3 tbsp (signature drizzle)
- Yuzu or mandarin juice — 1 tsp (tangy freshness)
Method
- Mix the syrup and citrus juice, keep cool.
- Shave the ice very finely (using a shaved ice machine, pulsing blender, or grater over a block) to obtain a light snow.
- Mound the ice in a well-chilled metal cup.
- At the moment of serving only, drizzle with amazura syrup and eat immediately with a small spoon.
How it was made : At Heian, ice was harvested in winter and stored in underground icehouses (himuro); in summer, it was worth a fortune and remained the preserve of the high aristocracy. It was served in metal bowls, which retain the cold, exactly as Sei Shōnagon describes.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a stainless-steel cup chilled in the freezer, like an ancestral kakigōri, with a curl of yuzu zest on top.
Sources : Sei Shōnagon, Notes de chevet (Makura no Sōshi), section 'Choses élégantes'
Empress Teishi · Charactorium