Does anyone remember the summertime in the 1960s and 1970s? If you do, then you would also remember the ice keki that used to attract little kids on the hot summer streets. Ice keki, which was popularized in the late 1960s, is similar to what we know as ice pops today. Merchants used to roam the streets with wooden coolers full of rock-hard ice keki on sticks that didn't even have wrappers. Many of you would probably still have nostalgic memories of the merchants shouting “ice ke~ki” on the streets touting kids and adults alike.
So how did the name ‘ice keki’ come about? Although ice pops are not considered Japanese food, it’s widely believed that the term ‘ice keki’ is derived from the Japanese way of saying ‘ice cake.’ More specifically, ice pops are called ‘ice candy’ in most of Japan and ‘ice keki’ is an Okinawan dialect. Today, this type of frozen snack isn’t called ‘ice keki’ anymore in Korea, but goes by the name ‘hard.’ It’s said that the name ‘hard’ comes from the first company to mass-produce ice creams in Korea, ‘SamKang Hard.’
Although ice pops today come in many different flavors, including fruit, chocolate, and grains, ice keki from back in the day was made by putting a stick in water mixed with sugar or saccharin, flavoring, and coloring, then freezing. Ice keki was perfect for people trying to stay cool in the heat and children who are always looking for a sweet snack, but in reality, it was unhealthy junk food. In fact, as the Food Sanitation Act went into effect in Korea, ice keki began to slowly disappear.
Summer in Korea has been hot every year, but it’s said that this year’s summer will be hotter than ever due to abnormally high temperatures taking over the globe. People already exhausted from heat are constantly looking for things to help them stay cool! If you want to give happy memories to your children to help them forget about the heat while making sure they eat snacks that are a little bit healthier, why don’t you try making some homemade ice pops at home? Making homemade ice pops is also a great way to interact and play with your kids when they’re feeling bored!
Peel the skin off of the banana and chop it into appropriate sizes.
Rinse the grapes clean and remove them off of the shoots.
Directions
Add the frozen strawberries, chopped bananas, and some water to a blender and process until the desired thickness is reached.
Wash the blender container and add the grapes and frozen blueberries. Process until the desired thickness is reached.
Pour the strawberry & banana puree, yogurt, and grape & blueberry puree into each of the ice pop molds, alternating to create stripes.
Cover the molds and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Recipe Note
· Feel free to make the purees with any fruits you like, such as kiwi, orange, apple, pineapple, and cherries. · If you don’t have ice pop molds, you may pour the purees and yogurt into paper cups; enjoy the finished ice pops by peeling the paper off as you eat, as if you’re eating ice cream cones.
