Aiyu fig jelly restaurant cools down Kaohsiung customers for three generations

Midsummer is here! That means time to cool off with some iced dessert. Fig jelly, also known as aiyu, is a classic Taiwanese sweet. The bowls of light jelly are served up with toppings such as sugar and fruit. We head now to one of the most beloved aiyu restaurants in the country. This hidden gem has been cooling down the folk of Kaohsiung for three generations.

Wild jelly fig seeds from Alishan are washed and processed to produce aiyu. Its golden-yellow shine is enough to make your mouth water.

The chef uses a special tool to cut the jelly. The sound of that squelching has to count as ASMR.

There are lots of loyal customers here today. The kumquat and lemon flavor is especially popular. Some people have been eating the sweet and sour treat here since they were little children.

This shaved ice shop in Kaohsiung’s Fengshan District has been handed down in the family for three generations. The current owner has been selling aiyu for 40 years, and she still prides herself on only using the best ingredients, and making the flavorings herself.

Chang Mei-li
Aiyu restaurant owner
We use wild jelly fig seeds for our aiyu, from Alishan. We wash them in hot water so it’s silkier, and it’s all natural. Also, we add our sugar and boil it for five hours. We press all the kumquats and lemons here fresh, so that’s what makes us special.

Customer
They use real ingredients here. That’s why it’s managed to survive all this time. Yeah, in business for so long. Whenever I want to have aiyu I come here.

The brown sugar flavor is sweet but not cloying. Slathered on top of the shaved ice, it’s the very picture of midsummer. The family has been serving up summer treats to cool Kaohsiung down for three generations, and their hard work doesn’t go unthanked.