From The Straits Times    |

China creates 'melt-proof' ice creamA unique ice cream cone in China has become an internet sensation and is on its way to becoming food lore for being a melt-proof frozen treat.

Launched this past spring, Nestlé China’s BenNaNa was originally pitched as a popsicle that’s eaten like a banana: the outer yellow layer peels back to reveal a vanilla cone.

But more than its novelty packaging, the ice cream has now become famous for being able to withstand the scorching Chinese summer heat and stay intact for up to three hours.

To test out the ice cream treat’s invincibility, a reporter from Japan’s RocketNews sat outside in the Chinese sun with a BenNaNa purchased from a local 7-11 and set it on the burning hot pavement between 3:40 and 6:50 pm.

Thanks to its edible, gelatinous yellow peel or casing, the popsicle maintained its shape for more than three hours.

The vanilla ice cream inside, however, turned to soup.

Meanwhile, after mounting an aggressive social media campaign to help launch the product in March, BenNaNa was ranked as the No. 1 trending topic on Sina Weibo — the Chinese version of Twitter — two weeks after an account was opened. According to the company, the product has also made it onto top 10 Weibo searches a total of seven times with hashtags like #LegendaryNestléBenNaNa and #EatingABananaWithoutSpittingOutTheSkin.

Other trends in ice cream this season include frozen Greek yogurt, bacon sundaes, and a frozen dessert from Taiwan made from shaved ice that melts like cotton candy in the mouth.