The scorching sun makes a cold Milk tea or ice cream so refreshing. But in times without refrigerators, did ancient people simply sit in the shade drinking well water to cool off? Of course not!
In fact, as early as the Zhou Dynasty, people had learned how to harvest and store ice, though in limited quantities, mainly for sacrificial use. With human ingenuity and effort, by the late Tang Dynasty, the technique of making ice using nitrate was discovered, allowing ordinary people to enjoy cold drinks and icy treats in summer. Let's take a look at how ancient people beat the heat.
Tang Dynasty: The World's Earliest Ice Cream
Sushan: Sushan first appeared during the Tang Dynasty. The “susu” here refers to a dairy product introduced from nomadic tribes in the north, similar to today's cream or butter. In the line “The paved road is moistened with light rain like susu,” “susu” refers to this food. Cream would be heated almost to its melting point and then drizzled to form mountain-like shapes, which were then frozen in an ice cellar. Alternatively, ice could be shaped into a small hill and topped with half-melted cream. This was very similar to modern ice cream.
The mural on the right in the tomb of Crown Prince Zhanghuai of the Tang Dynasty shows a serving girl holding a “Sushan” decorated with flowers and colorful trees.
Song Dynasty: Cold Drink and Milk Tea Shops
Yinzi: By the Song Dynasty, ice storage technology was already quite advanced, and government employees even received “heat allowances.” The court established a special office called “Bingjing Wu” to develop cooling and heat-relieving foods. There were many types of cold drinks available during the Song Dynasty. According to historical records, there were three luxurious beverage shops in the Northern Song capital Bianjing selling items such as icy cold rice balls, cold jelly, licorice soup, medicinal wood melon, water melon, iced lychee jelly, and more.
(Partial) “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” by Zhang Zeduan of the Northern Song Dynasty
Even more varieties of cold drinks are recorded in Southern Song Dynasty literature, including snow-bubbled soybean water, filtered pear juice, ginger honey water, wood melon juice, fragrant water, lychee jelly water, golden tangerine balls, snow-bubbled sour beer drink, aromatic herb drink, perilla leaf drink, white liquor cold water, soapberry water, sweet soybean Sugar, mung bean water, sour beer drink, brined plum water, Jiang tea water, Wuling powder, Dazhun powder, snow-bubbled plum wine, rich family's heat-relieving ice water, and others.
Yuan Dynasty: The Golden Age of Dairy Products
Bingsu / Bingtuo: Kublai Khan loved bingsu, which he listed as a royal cold treat for beating the heat. After repeated improvements by the imperial kitchen, it tasted even better. It is said that when Marco Polo came to China, he sampled the imperial cold drink “bingtuo.”
Qing Dynasty: The Era of Fruit Tea
A Bucket of Fruit Tea: During the Qing Dynasty, there were five ice cellars within the Forbidden City alone, ensuring that the imperial family could enjoy cool refreshments. “A Dream of Red Mansions” mentions drinks such as sour plum soup, Rose dew, Osmanthus dew, cold tea, and rose broth. “Qing Palace Poems” record a cooling food called “bingguo.” The poem says, “Float melons and sink plums in an ice-filled plate,” referring to various fruits and dried fruits placed on a plate and chilled with ice. This is quite similar to the “bucket of fruit tea” offered by many milk tea shops today.
Tianwanzi: During Empress Dowager Cixi's reign, these ice bowls were also known as “tianwanzi.” The ingredients used were diverse, including chilled melons, lotus roots, lilies, lotus seeds, almond tofu, longans, raisins, fresh walnuts, Chinese yam, jujube flour cakes, and more. Later, some restaurants would attract customers by serving fresh walnuts, fresh lotus roots, fresh water chestnuts, and fresh lotus seeds over small ice cubes as appetizers.
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