11 Frozen Treats From Around The World

Here in the States, the jolly jingle of the ice cream truck sends kids into a frenzy. Ever wonder what gets the job done in other parts of the world? Here are 11 frozen treats commonly enjoyed outside America. 

The superfruit açaí is celebrated in a delicious dessert in Brazil. It's mashed and frozen into a sorbet-like dessert that can be transformed into a refreshing smoothie or served in a bowl (the name literally means "açaí in a bowl") with more fresh fruit and granola.  Now we know why supermodels are born here. 

They keep things deliciously uncomplicated in Mexico. Frozen bananas are just that: bananas that have been frozen and dipped in premium-quality dark Mexican chocolate. A banana bar might include options for toppings like crushed nuts, coconut, or sprinkles.  

Layers of savory ingredients like chickpeas, yams, and kidney beans are separated by shaved ice, condensed milk, and chopped frozen fruit in halo-halo, the mixed-up dessert popular in the Philippines. 

In Malaysia, beans are frozen to create ice kacang (which literally translates to "ice bean").  The beans — along with other toppings like creamed corn, glass jelly, ghee, and nuts — are set atop a mound of sweetened shaved ice. Ice Kacang is a popular street food sold by vendors all over Malaysia. 

If you find yourself in the India, Pakistan, or Nepal, you will certainly be offered a cup of kulfi. A frozen creamy custard, kulfi is a milk-based frozen dessert that is thickened with a cornstarch-water paste. It is traditionally flavored with regional ingredients like saffron, cardamom, mango, rose, and even pistachio. Contemporary versions include avocado, Nutella, orange, and apple, but purists prefer to stick to the tried-and-true for this dense and rich dessert. 

Another popular Filipino dessert is mais con yelo. A mound of shaved ice is mixed with cold milk and sugar to create a pudding-like dessert, minus the pudding. The mixture is then topped with sweet corn.

Kids in Korea get their vegetable fix while eating dessert. Patbingsu consists of a cup of shaved ice with sweetened adzuki beans. They can also get extra toppings like chopped fruit, chilled condensed milk, and frozen cream.  

Anyone who has been on vacation in Puerto Rico knows how hard the piragua cart vendors work. They push their carts over the city selling frozen sweet treats that are made to order. First, a paper cone is filled with soft shaved ice. The ice, which resembles a pyramid, is topped with your choice of flavored syrup. There are tropical flavors, naturally, like coconut, mango, and pineapple. There are also options for strawberry, cherry, grape, and more.

Semifreddo is an Italian dessert made of a thick base, like custard or gelato, that's been lightened with egg whites to make a meringue-like dessert, which is served frozen. It is usually enhanced with regional specialties like pistachios or amaretti. It is easy to slice and serve, and has dense flavors but a light, irresistible texture.

In Germany, your dessert will look a lot like dinner. Frozen custard is pushed through a ricer to create ice cream noodles. The "pasta" is then topped with strawberry jam and coconut flakes so that it resembles a bowl of spaghetti. 

Japanese sweet rice is mashed and turned into a paste to form dough called mochi to create this bite-sized dessert. The sweet mochi is then wrapped around dollops of ice cream in creative flavors like green tea, red bean, banana, and cranberry. Worth the calories? Absolutely.