Local sweets & wagashi

Shirokuma

  • 46Kagoshima

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  • 46Kagoshima

Dish log

Shirokuma
Image attribution: AI-generated image · GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst

A Kagoshima shaved-ice dessert in which shaved ice is drizzled with condensed milk and colorfully topped with fruit and adzuki beans.

Dish profile

About this dish

Main ingredients
ice, condensed milk, adzuki beans, fruit such as cherries/raisins/mandarin oranges/pineapple, kanten (agar)
History and origin
It is said to have originated at a long-established eatery founded in the Showa 20s (1945–1954). It was originally shaved ice with white and red syrups, but after repeated improvements it arrived at a condensed-milk-flavored syrup, and it was reportedly named because the angelica, cherries, and raisins decorating the outside looked like a polar bear (shirokuma) when seen from above.
When it is eaten
It is commonly eaten as a summer tradition in Kagoshima Prefecture and is enjoyed by people of all ages, from children to adults.
How it is eaten
Shaved ice is drizzled with sweetened condensed milk, then colorfully arranged with bite-sized fruit and adzuki beans. Variations include pouring chocolate or matcha syrup over it or topping it with pudding.

Sources

Recipes vary by region and household. This is not ingredient, allergy, or dietary guidance for a specific restaurant.

Dietary guidance

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  • VegetarianNo direct clue found (this does not mean suitable)

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  • HalalNo direct clue found (this does not mean suitable)

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  • Gluten-freeNo direct clue found (this does not mean suitable)

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  • PorkPork: no direct clue found (absence is not confirmed)
  • Alcohol (mirin / sake)Alcohol (mirin / sake): no direct clue found (absence is not confirmed)

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  • SpicinessNot confirmed by the dish information.

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  • Ease of eatingNot confirmed by the dish information.

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  • Venue settingNot confirmed by the dish information.

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