Shikashika facts for kids

Shikashika is a refreshing shaved ice drink. It is made from glacier ice and is popular in Peru and Bolivia.

For many people in the countryside, getting and selling this ice is a very important way to earn money. People who sell the ice, called ice merchants, cut huge blocks of ice by hand using an axe. Then, they use strong mules to carry these heavy ice blocks down from the high mountains.

Each block of ice weighs about 40 kilograms. These big blocks are sold to people who make Shikashika. One block costs about 17 US dollars. Later, the Shikashika sellers turn this ice into a tasty treat. They sell it for about 15 cents in plastic bags with colorful sweet syrups. You can often find Shikashika at Andean festivals and on market days.

The word "Shikashika" comes from the Amerindian language Quechua. It is an onomatopoeia, which means the word sounds like the action it describes. It sounds like the scraping noise made when shaving the ice! In Spanish, another word for Shikashika is "raspadilla."

Shikashika in Films

In 2008, a company called Huaraz Satyricon Cinema made a documentary film about a Shikashika business. The film was shot in Peru's Andean Highlands.

This documentary shows how a family makes this colorful shaved ice. To get the ice, the family must travel high into the Andes mountains. There, they cut enormous blocks of ice using only an axe and their bare hands. The very next day, they sell the Shikashika at the steps of a big church in the valley far below. The film gives a special look into what life and work are like in the Peruvian highlands.

See also

In Spanish: Shikashika para niños