what is aiyu made of?
“Ice jelly” is actually the very slick name given to the treat by Singaporeans; since that’s kind of what it looks like–ice in the summer.
In its native Taiwan, ice jelly is called Aiyu jelly in Mandarin and Ogio in Taiwanese. It is a natural jelly made using the seeds of the Awkeotsang fig, which is native to Taiwan and parts of Southeast Asia.
The popular treat is sweetened with syrup or honey and served chilled and with lemon or lime juice. It is an all-natural and refreshing treat that the Taiwanese have turned to for centuries for relief in the subtropical summer heat!
The following is the legend behind the discovery and popularization of the Aiyu jelly as well as the origin of its name.
Back in the 1800s, one day, there was an old Taiwanese merchant travelling in the unforgiving heat of the Taiwanese summer.
When the merchant passed through the modern-day region of Chiayi, he took refuge from the heat on the banks of a small creek.
As he dipped his hands into the cool river-water to drink, he noticed junks of ice flowing in the creek.
“How can this be?” the merchant thought, “it’s the middle of the hottest season on this subtropical island and there are pieces of ice in the creek?”
The merchant was curious and investigated.
He picked up the pieces and noticed that they weren’t, in fact, ice at all; but a gel-like substance that had congealed in the cool water.
When the merchant investigated further, he discovered vines growing on the side of the river that bore a type of fig.
He noted that when the seeds of the fig came into contact with the cold water, they form a natural, edible jelly.
The merchant took the figs and its seeds home and, together with his daughter, invented what became the jelly.
The merchant’s daughter’s name was Ogio, or Aiyu in Mandarin, and she was put in charge of selling this newly discovered, natural treat.
In time, regulars in the merchant’s new jelly shop came to refer to the treat by the name of the person who sold it. And that’s how the Aiyu jelly got its name.
As mentioned above, today, the jelly is a popular summertime treat not only in Taiwan but in other countries in the region, such as Singapore, as well.
Aiyu jelly (Chinese: 愛玉冰; pinyin: àiyùbīng; or 愛玉凍; àiyùdòng; or simply 愛玉; àiyù), known in Amoy Hokkien as ogio (Chinese: 薁蕘; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ò-giô), and as ice jelly in Singapore (Chinese: 文頭雪; pinyin: wéntóu xuě), is a jelly made from the gel from the seeds of the awkeotsang creeping fig found in Taiwan and East Asian countries of the same climates and latitudes. The jelly is not commonly made or found outside of Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, though it can be bought fresh in specialty stores in Japan and canned in Chinatowns. It is also used in Taiwanese cuisine.
In Cantonese, it is also known as man tau long (文頭郎). It is commonly served with a slice of lime.
According to oral history, the plant and the jelly were named after the daughter of a Taiwanese tea businessman in the 1800s. The gelling property of the seeds was discovered by the businessman as he drank from a creek in Chiayi. He found a clear yellowish jelly in the water he was drinking and was refreshed upon trying it. Looking above the creek he noticed fruits on hanging vines. The fruits contained seeds that exuded a sticky gel when rubbed.
Upon this discovery, he gathered some of the fruits and served them at home with honeyed lemon juice or sweetened beverages. Finding the jelly-containing beverage delicious and thirst-quenching, the enterprising businessman delegated the task of selling it to his beautiful 15-year-old daughter, Aiyu. The snack was very well received and became highly popular. So, the businessman eventually named the jelly and the vines after his daughter.
However, the Austronesian name igos, coming from Spanish higo, hints at a possible Austronesian origin for this food.
Fruits of the creeping fig plant resemble large fig fruits the size of small mangos. The figs grow from flowers pollinated by the Wiebesia pumilae. and are harvested from September through January just before the fruit ripens to a dark purple. The fruits are then halved and turned inside out to dry over the course of several days. The dry fruits can be sold as is, or dried aiyu seeds (Chinese: 愛玉子; pinyin: aiyu zi) can then be pulled off the skin and sold separately.
The aiyu seeds are placed in a cotton cloth bag, and the bag and its contents are submerged in cold water and rubbed. A slimy gel will be extracted from the bag of aiyu seeds as it is squeezed and massaged. This is known as "washing aiyu" in Chinese (洗愛玉). After several minutes of massaging and washing, no more of the yellowish tea-coloured gel will be extracted, and the contents of the bag are discarded. The washed gel is then allowed to set into a jelly either in a cool location or in the refrigerator. One must keep in mind certain things when making aiyu jelly or else the gel may not set:
Water will slowly seep out of the jelly some time after it sets, and it will turn back to a liquid over the course of several days.
The jelly is usually served with honey and lemon juice but can also be included in other sweetened beverages or shaved ice and is particularly popular as a cool drink in hot summers.
The gelling agent in aiyu seeds is pectin. Pectines are located in the transparent layer on the surface of seeds and not the inside of seeds, which is why they are extracted by washing and rubbing instead of grinding to a powder. The main component of the water extract was found to be LMP (low methoxy pectin), as opposed to high metoxy pectins prevalent in commercially used sources such as apples or citrus peels. LMP gels in presence of divalent cations, which are found in sufficient amount in water (when undistilled), thus causing a creation of jelly.
Aiyu jelly is plant-based, made from the seeds of a type of fig plant. This plant, known specifically as the awkeotsang creeping fig, is commonly found in Taiwan and several other East Asian countries. What is this? When combined with water and rubbed, the seeds from the fig will produce a yellowish gel.
