November 29th, 2006 | Category: General
THE MYSTERIOUS AND NOT-SO-STRANGE HISTORY OF THE ICE CREAM SUNDAE
Posted by: Turkey Hill Team
The history of ice cream is shrouded in mystery, so it’s no surprise that the origins of the ice cream sundae are equally cloudy.
By definition a sundae is ice cream, typically served in a bowl-like glass, and topped with whipped cream, syrup (usually chocolate), nuts and other goodies. It sounds simple, but there are actually several theories about how the sundae came to be. Here are few of the most popular:
The first takes place in Evanston, Illinois. In 1890, many pastors felt that “sucking soda” was in poor taste, so Evanston became one of the first towns to prohibit the sale of soda water on Sunday. Not wanting to close down the shop during one of the busiest days of the week, many local soda fountain operators simply removed the soda water from their ice cream sodas and thus the sundae was born.
The second takes place around the same time in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. It was here that a customer order a dish of ice cream at a local soda fountain and got the crazy idea to ask for it topped with some of the syrup used to make the soda. The idea caught on and began selling once a week on “Ice Cream Sundays.” Soon the popularity of the treat made it a seven-day-a-week treat and the name was changed slightly to accommodate.
The last story finds us in Ithaca, New York in 1893 when the Reverend John Scott walked into Platt & Colt Pharmacy on a Sunday and ordered a dish of vanilla ice cream. The owner decided to add some cherry syrup and a cherry, the Reverend loved it, and the treat was renamed after the day is was invented.
If you’re still not sure who to believe, more information (and more theories) can be found here.
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If you’ve got a technical question about the ice cream making process or some other inquiry about the nuances of America’s favorite treat, chances are Ernie has the answer. He might not be able to answer all questions, but he’ll try his best and some may be featured on the Ice Cream Journal.
5 Comments
I just loved the various version of the origination of the ice cream sundae. I had never given that much thought, but it definitely is thought provoking and I plan to share the various stories during the coming holiday along with, guess what?, an ice cream sundae for dessert to top off the family dinner. I can’t wait for I think it’s a fine way to end a great get-together. Incidentally, my favorite flavor is your Butter Pecan and we eat it up so quickly there is no need to worry about a “heat stroke”.
December 7th, 2006 at 11:52 amI heard turkey hill on the radio a couple years ago and the station wanted TH to come up with not so good flavors of ice cream and the DJs would try them. I think the one flavor was chocolate ice cream mixed with hot dogs, ketchup, and mustard…man that sounds real good…NOT!!
December 1st, 2006 at 10:57 amHmmm….I could eat an orange creamsicle pop
November 30th, 2006 at 8:58 pmMabye there could be a contest - the most original story about the creation of an ice cream sundae or cone…how it originated…
November 30th, 2006 at 11:14 amI wonder who came up with the idea to make ice cream on a stick–fudgesicles, etc. Before or after cones at the World’s Fair?
November 29th, 2006 at 3:15 pmThese comments are intended to be a discussion of the information presented in the blog postings. Any product-related questions or other issues not related to the post should be referred to our consumer response team through the link on our Contact Us page, as they are the true experts in answering any questions or concerns you may have about Turkey Hill and its products.
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