What are 4 ice cream novelties you can't imagine living without? Would you believe that they originated in America?
1. Waffle Ice Cream Cones
One of the most important decisions when buying the delicious frozen dessert of ice cream is "cup or cone?" No matter what you decide, everyone can agree that the "cone" part of an ice cream cone is essential and classic.
Even more iconic is the delicious, hint-of-cinnamon, sweet-smelling WAFFLE CONE! Whether it is the holding vessel of your prized icy treat, or on the side, broken into bits for a bit of texture for your ice cream. Ice cream would not be the same without its golden, delicious, pastry friend!
While the first ice cream cone was invented in New York City by Italo Marchiony in 1896, it was not until 1904 that the waffle ice cream cone was invented.
As the story goes, Ernest A. Hamwi, a Syrian concessionaire who was selling a crispy, waffle-like pastry called zalabia, saw an opportunity at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
Hamwi's neighbor at the fair was an ice cream vendor. Since ice cream is the delicious frozen dessert that it is, the vendor soon ran out of clean dishes due to its popularity. Hamwi saw an opportunity as he quickly rolled one of his zalabia's into a "cornucopia" like shape.
Once it cooled, the ice cream was added and it soon became a huge hit at the fair. Hamwi would go on later to establish the Cornucopia Waffle Company and then the Missouri Cone Company, all of which contributed to the mouthwatering American ice cream waffle cone we love today!
2. Root Beer Floats
Yummy root beer soda + creamy vanilla ice cream = a match made in heaven! We have Frank Wisner, the owner of Cripple Creek Cow Mountain Gold Mining Company in Colorado to thank for this frosty American ice cream treat.
It is said that Wisner was inspired to make the creation on a late night in1893, when he was thinking of the delicious root beer he was creating. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw moonlight hit the snow-capped Cow Mountain and was instantly reminded of creamy vanilla ice cream.
Thus, the root beer float or endearingly called the "Black Cow" at the time, was created. It was extremely popular with the locals and soon became a national obsession.
3. Milkshakes
The milkshake is perhaps the most American ice cream creation there is, a perfect companion to a burger and fries. Surprisingly though, milkshakes actually got their beginning as a health drink until all the yumminess that we know today was added.
It is said that the milkshakes we love today got their start in 1922, when Ivar “Pop” Coulson, an employee at a Chicago Walgreens, was deliciously inspired to add scoops of ice cream to a glass of malted milk.
Malted milk was made from chocolate syrup and malt. Malt was originally created as a supplement for babies.
Soon the malted milkshake took off and soda fountains began renaming themselves "malt shops" to meet the demands of the public.
The recipe expanded over time as some people preferred their milkshake without malt and new flavors of syrup were added, like strawberry, vanilla, mint, and so much more. This brings to the iconic American ice cream milkshakes of today!
4. Ice Cream Sundaes
Last, but certainly not least, is the American ice cream sundae. The sundae is perhaps one of the most recognizable American ice cream creations. You might be surprised that there is actually a big debate, or "Sundae War," on where the true origins of the ice cream creation began. The debate is whether it was created in 1881 at Two Rivers, Wisconsin or Ithaca, New York in 1892.
However, the Two Rivers claim is considered to be the most widely believed. It was soda fountain owner, Ed Berners, who created the delicious concoction, and it was on accident...kind of.
One Sunday afternoon, Berners had a request for an ice cream float or ice cream soda, which would have not have been out of the ordinary except for the supposed "Blue Laws."
These religious stipulations stated that ice cream sodas not be sold on Sunday because they were too "frilly."
In an effort to still please his customer, Berners served him ice cream with the chocolate sauce used for sodas. It was a delicious success, and soon he began selling "ice cream with syrup" at his soda fountain.
The New Yorker's on the other hand, claim that shop proprietor (Platt & Colt Pharmacy), Chester C. Platt was the true creator.
As the story goes, Platt met with Reverend John M. Scott after a Sunday service and decided to make a frosty refreshment for himself and the referend. Here, is where Platt made history as he decided to top the creamy vanilla ice cream with cherry syrup and a candied cherry.
The Reverend was delighted and decided they must create a new name for this delicious creation and because it was Sunday, was inspired to call it a "Cherry Sunday."
There is much debate over how it came to be known as an ice cream sundae, but one popular theory is that the name was later changed from an ice cream "Sunday" to "Sundae" to possibly avoid any possible conflicts with the church or offending anyone when the frozen dessert was served on days that were not the Sabbath.
American Ice Cream is here to stay
No matter where the delicious ice cream creation came from, the ice cream sundae is the cherry on top when it comes to the top 4 American ice cream creations we can't live without! Good thing we will never have to imagine a world without them!
We can just look forward to The Sundae After Next!
Comments