A Frosty Hawaiian Treat: Shave Ice

You’ll find this tropical treat—finely shaved, not crushed ice, flavored with fruity syrups—throughout Hawaii.

We began coming to these islands over 30 years ago and, until just a few days ago, resisted tasting shave ice. Who wants to eat sugar and ice when we can eat ice cream?

On any given day we’ll see hordes of people, vacationers and locals alike, eagerly scarfing down this sweet confection. But what is all the fuss about?

We finally decided to find out for ourselves when we were gifted with a $10 charge card as part of our welcome package at a staycation.

Our destination: Uncle’s Shave Ice in Lihue, Kauai. We were the first customers that day and our server could not have been more patient with us as she answered all of our questions and suggested all sorts of possible flavors and add-ons.

You can create your own shave ice serving by including “Unders” like fresh fruit or ice cream or both on the bottom of the cup and “Overs,” coconut or various sauces on top of the shave ice. You get to choose three syrups.

After studying all the bewildering possibilities, in the end I ordered what you see me smiling about at the top of this newsletter. Three syrups drizzled atop a cone of packed shave ice.

Shave Ice drizzled with strawberry, lemon, and banana syrups. The silky texture of the ice is the star of this perennial Hawaiian treat.

I take my first spoonful and my taste buds are transported to somewhere they’ve never been. Because the ice is shaved and not crushed, it’s as smooth as silk and just captivating. How could anything so cold and smooth and sweet exist? Go slow, I tell myself. Take the time to savor. Dorothy agrees, and our spoons vie playfully for our next bites.   

How is the ice shaved? We watch our server hoist a solid block of ice into the shaving machine, lock the ice in place, and turn the machine on. Round and round goes the ice and out flows the white mountain of shavings.

The ice rotates rapidly in a chamber obscured by the caution sign. A sharp shaving blade makes quick work of it and you can see the mound of shaved ice at the bottom of the photo.

We can thank the Japanese workers who came to Hawaii to labor in the sugar cane and pineapple fields for this gift of flavored snow. To cool off, they used tools to shave off ice flakes that they flavored with sugar or fruit juice. From that humble beginning grew an industry that thrives spectacularly today.

The next time you come to Hawaii, you must try some shave ice!