We’ve seen our fair share of eccentric food trends all over the world, but I doubt many would be as strange as this one.
Ice is for keeping beverages cold and making things like milkshakes. It’s no treat on its own.
And yet grilled ice cubes are a new street food being sold in some streets in China.
Yes, grilled ice cubes. You’re most likely wondering how you would even grill ice cubes without, you know, having them melt. The term even sounds like an oxymoron, but there does in fact appear to be a trick.
The cook coats them in oil first, which seems to stop them from melting immediately.
And when you’re after something that’ll satisfy the stomach, even for a short while, ice cubes aren’t exactly your first thought. I guess China’s grilled ice cubes are something of a gimmick.
The streets of China are a haven for all types of food, and the Chinese are no stranger to experimenting with ingredients. Noodles, rice, dumplings, you name it.
But amidst the plethora of eccentric but tasty foods you can find there, you’d also run into things that seem more like trends that didn’t take off.
The ice cubes aren’t the first time Chinese street vendors have made snacks out of solid, hard ingredients.
Just to bring up a relevant example, stir-fried pebbles also made the news back in 2023.
These pebbles, or siodiu as locally called, are marine pebbles you’d find shellfish nesting in. The river floor can be home to a number of flavorful critters anyway. Perhaps an adventurous cook reasoned that the river floor itself would be worth sampling?
Can’t say either of these treats aren’t crunchy, right? I wouldn’t recommend biting them though. That can’t be good for your teeth.
Anyone who feels like they’re not getting their money’s worth from the ice needn’t worry – they come with a topping of chili and cumin.
Spicy ice cubes, without a doubt, is probably the most contradictory concept for food you’ll ever hear. And that’s assuming that ice even qualifies as “food” here.
Imagine if the spice ends up being too much. You ask for some ice to cool it off, only to realize it’s the ice that’s the problem.
You would look like quite the buffoon, wouldn’t you?
Then again, you’re the one who spent money to eat grilled ice in the first place. Maybe you had it coming.
But I digress, it’s always better to form your own opinions. Grilled, spicy ice cubes sounds ridiculous – but if you happen to be visiting China, it’s worth trying even just for fun.
There’s no harm in partaking in bizarre trends or eccentric tastes from time to time – within reason, of course.
As far as I can tell, these grilled ice cubes aren’t hurting anyone, besides the ones with a low tolerance for spiciness.
At least we know where Ice Spice got her name, right?
What say you? Fancy a trip to China to sample it yourself?
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