The great ice cream sundae debate

by Joe DiStefano (Subscribe to Joe DiStefano's posts)
Posted Aug 6th 2006 4:33PM
Filed under: Dessert, East Coast, Dairy, Chocolate, Midwest Cities, America, Comfort Food, Sugar

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A battle over where and when the ice cream sundae originated is heating up. The two American cities fighting to lay claim to inventing the treat have taken out ads in each other's local newspapers. One resident even mailed an inflatable cow to the mayor of his rival city.

Two Rivers, Wis., says that it concocted the sundae first in 1881 after a customer asked Edward C. Berners, the owner of a downtown soda fountain, to spoon a little chocolate sauce over ice cream. According to local lore, Berners began selling the new treat on Sundays.

Ithaca, N.Y., for its part, says it invented the sundae in 1892. Naturally, the city has its own folksy myth, too. As the story goes, the syrup covering the first sundae was not chocolate, but cherry. A local priest asked for vanilla ice cream with cherry syrup capped with a dark candied cherry and suggested that the dessert be named after the day.

Each town has historical markers devoted to the sundae. Two Rivers seem most passionate about the cause though. It was one of that city's residents who mailed the inflatable cow. Ithaca, for its part, said in a proclamation that people in Two Rivers are "great storytellers." As the cheeseheads like to say, "Uff da!"

Tags: cherry syrup, CherrySyrup, chocolate syrup, ChocolateSyrup, Edward C. Berners, EdwardC.Berners, ice cream, ice cream sundae, IceCream, IceCreamSundae, Ithaca, Ithaca, N.Y., sundae, Two Rivers, Two Rivers, Wis., TwoRivers, TwoRivers,Wis.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-06-2006 @ 5:40PM

Dr. Electro said...

No, it wasn't either of them. It was me. I invented the ice cream sundae back during the early stone age. I just chipped my ice off the leading edge of my local glacier and the rest was pure magic.

Okay, I exaggerated a tiny bit. The truth is, the majority of people the world over don't actually care who made the first sundae or where. They just want it cold and flavorful. With extra sprinkles, please.

8-06-2006 @ 8:57PM

Camille Bauman said...

When I was a teen back in the early sixties, our local rootbeer stand served a cherry sundae that was my favorite. Why on earth can't a person purchase that wonderful cherry topping at the grocery stores? I see the usual chocolate, caramel, strawberry, pineapple and blah, blah concotions, but wah! I want cherry!!

8-07-2006 @ 4:20PM

Dan Tannenbaum said...

Sundaes are great...even on Wednesdays! But for the ultimate ice cream treat, I have never found anything to surpass the pleasure of a Carvel soft Vanilla cone with Chocolate Sprinkles. Listen, I'm the kind of guy who thinks Plain Cheese Pizza (Neopolitan style like they serve in NYC) is the ultimate in pizza! I loev the simple pleasures in life!

8-13-2006 @ 11:26PM

Bill Grover said...

I distinctly remember my mother talking about having an ice cream sunday at Berner's as a young girl. I'm in my 80's and my mother was 86 when she died 1982

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