The origins of the ice cream sundae are disputed, with three possible histories. The earliest dates back to 1881 in Wisconsin, while another takes place in 1890 in Illinois. A third tale involves a drugstore owner in New York in 1893. Hot fudge and the banana split were later popular additions.
There are several accounts as to who invented the ice cream sundae. It is possible that all three are true. The addition of syrup to ice cream may have occurred spontaneously at several points. Also, someone could have invented the dish, before the dates on the various accounts of sundae inventions, and it just didn’t catch on. Ice cream historians consider three possible histories as the genesis of the ice cream sundae.
The earliest invention date is 1881 and is credited to two competing soda fountain owners in Wisconsin. Ed Berners of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, allegedly began adding soda syrup as a topping for ice cream, and charged a nickel for this accomplishment that satisfied so many customers. Meanwhile, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, George Giffy was also enjoying the results of Berners’ new packaging, but he thought a nickel was too cheap. Giffy decided to serve ice cream only on Sundays. Later the name of the frozen dessert was deliberately misspelled so as not to offend religious people who treated Sunday as a special day.
The next date in the history of ice cream parlors is 1890, when Evanston, Illinois passed a law prohibiting the use of soda water on Sundays. Of course soda fountains couldn’t do frozen sodas or serve regular sodas on Sundays, but they could still serve syrup sodas and ice creams. Few can agree on the first soda shop or person to add syrup to ice cream in Illinois, but several soda shops have started serving this delicious treat due to the soda ban.
Another tale takes place later in the history of ice cream, in 1893. Chester Platt, owner of Platt & Colt drugstore in Ithaca, New York, wanted to make a special dish for one of his patrons, the Reverend John Scott. He added cherry syrup to vanilla ice cream and topped it off with a cherry. The name, as the account says, came from the fact that this happened on a Sunday.
Many food historians believe the most credible accounts are those that occur in Two Rivers and Ithaca. Yet Evanston’s story also makes sense. In the early 20th century, ice cream parlors were in vogue in many parts of the United States, and ice cream parlors, soda shops, and drug stores became increasingly inventive with the types of toppings added. Hot fudge was already a dessert topping before the advent of the ice cream sundae and became a natural addition. The banana split, perhaps one of the most popular variations of the ice cream sundae, has another controversial history, but it was likely created in 1904 by David Evans Strickler at Tassel Pharmacy in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
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