Jellies & Gelatins
Grass Jelly
仙草
Thailand
Black jelly made from boiled mesona herb, served cold in syrup with toppings or hot as a thick sweet soup in winter.

Original eatfuls sticker artwork
What it is
A closer look at Grass Jelly.
Black jelly made from boiled mesona herb, served cold in syrup with toppings or hot as a thick sweet soup in winter.
What to look for
Know it when you find it.
The hot version, shao xiancao, is a winter drink rather than a dessert. It should taste faintly bitter and herbal, not just sweet.
Where it belongs
Origins and
traditions.
Food rarely respects a border. These are the places the dataset connects most strongly to Grass Jelly.
Names around the table
One food, more than one name.
Keep exploring
If this caught your eye…

Taiwan
Aiyu Jelly
愛玉
Jelly set by washing the seeds of a Taiwanese fig in water, served cold with lemon and sugar syrup.

Japan
Anmitsu
あんみつ
A traditional dessert of agar jelly cubes, red bean, fruit, and mochi, drizzled with kuromitsu syrup.

Bahrain
Bahraini Halwa
حلوى بحرينية
The queen of Bahraini sweets — a firm, jelly-like confection made from cornstarch, sugar, saffron, rose water, cardamom, and nuts, cooked in large copper pots for hours over open fire.

Munster, Ireland
Irish Brawn
Brána
Pressed pork head cheese, a traditional Irish farmhouse delicacy still made in Cork and Waterford.

Philippines
Coconut Pandan Dessert
Buko Pandan
Young coconut strips and pandan-flavored jelly in a sweet cream, a refreshing party dessert.

Quebec, Canada
Eggs in Aspic
Œufs en gelée
A Quebec dish of poached eggs set in aspic (savory gelatin), often with ham or vegetables — a classic cold appetizer.

Indonesia
Cendol
Chendol
Green jelly noodles in coconut milk with palm sugar syrup and red beans, firm green jelly with fragrant gula melaka and creamy coconut, a legendary Malaysian dessert icon

Vietnam
Che Ba Mau
Chè ba màu
Three-color Vietnamese dessert with layers of green pandan jelly, yellow mung bean paste, and red kidney beans, topped with coconut cream and crushed ice.
