🍽️ Prickly Pear Ice

Prickly-pear shaved ice, island sweet.

Prickly Pear Ice is a signature shaved-ice dessert of the Penghu islands, turning the cactus that grows wild along the beaches into a summer sweet. Green prickly pear thrives along Penghu's coast; in autumn it bears purple-red fruit, which is picked, deseeded and cooked into a sauce poured over traditional shaved ice, often with milk, condensed milk or small glutinous balls. It tastes tart and cool, with a subtle island-fruit tang and a striking purple color. Windy and sunny Penghu gets scorching in summer, so this bowl both beats the heat and captures a taste unique to the outer islands. Local shops make the sauce by hand and pour it fresh on order; visitors often have it after touring the Mazu temple and waterfront, tasting Penghu's sea breeze and sunshine in every sweet, icy bite.