Sundae

1
Sundae
A strawberry sundae
The sundae is an ice cream dessert. It typically consists of a scoop of
ice cream topped with sauce or syrup, and in some cases other toppings
including chopped nuts, sprinkles, whipped cream, or maraschino
cherries.
History
A chocolate sundae in a shot glass
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the origin of the term
sundae is obscure, however, it is generally accepted that the spelling
"sundae" derives from the word Sunday or, according to one source,
from the German name Sonntag, which means Sunday.
Among the many stories about the invention of the sundae, a frequent
theme is that the dish arose in contravention to so-called blue laws
against Sunday consumption of either ice cream or ice cream soda (the
latter invented by Robert M. Green in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in
1874
[1]
}. The religious laws are said to have led druggists to produce a
substitute for these popular treats for consumption on Sunday.
According to this theory of the name's origin, the spelling was changed
to sundae to avoid offending religious conventions.
In support of this idea, Peter Bird wrote in The First Food Empire: A
History of J. Lyons and Co. (2000) that the name 'sundae' was adopted
as a result of Illinois state's early prohibition of ice cream consumption
on Sundays, because ice cream with a topping that obscured the main
product was not deemed to be ice cream. However, according to
documentation published by the Evanston, Illinois Public Library, it
was the drinking of soda, not the eating of ice cream, that was
outlawed on Sundays in Illinois.
[2]
Sundae
2
Other origin stories for the sundae focus on the novelty or inventiveness of the treat or the name of the originator,
and make no mention of legal pressures.
Contested origins
Various American localities have claimed to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae. These claimants include
Ithaca, New York; Two Rivers, Wisconsin; Plainfield, Illinois; Evanston, Illinois; New York City; New Orleans,
Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Buffalo, New York.
Two Rivers, Wisconsin in 1881
Wisconsin Historical Marker detailing Two
Rivers as the locale of the invention of the ice
cream sundae - Central Park, Two Rivers, WI
Two Rivers' claim is based on the story of George Hallauer asking
Edward C. Berners, the owner of Berners' Soda Fountain, to drizzle
chocolate syrup over ice cream in 1881. Berners eventually did and
wound up selling the treat for a nickel, originally only on Sundays, but
later every day. According to this story, the spelling changed when a
glass salesman ordered canoe-shaped dishes. When Berners died in
1939, the Chicago Tribune headlined his obituary "Man Who Made
First Ice Cream Sundae Is Dead."
[3]

[4]
Two Ithaca High School
students, however, claim that Berners would have only been 16 or 17
in 1881 and it is therefore "improbable" that he would have owned an
ice cream shop in that year. They also state that the obituary dates
Berners' first sundae to 1899 rather than 1881.
[5]
Residents of Two Rivers have contested the claims of other cities to the right to claim the title "birthplace of the ice
cream sundae." When Ithaca, New York mayor Carolyn K. Peterson proclaimed a day to celebrate her city as the
birthplace of the sundae, she received postcards from Two Rivers' citizens reiterating that town's claim.
[6]
Evanston, Illinois in 1890
Ithaca Daily Journal, May 28, 1892
Evanston was one of the first locations to pass a blue law against
selling ice cream sodas in 1890. "Some ingenious confectioners and
drug store operators [in Evanston]... obeying the law, served ice cream
with the syrup of your choice without the soda. Thereby complying
with the law This sodaless soda was the Sunday soda."
[2]
As sales of
the dessert continued on Mondays, local leaders then objected to
naming the dish after the Sabbath, so the spelling of the name was
changed to sundae.
[7]
Ithaca, New York in 1892
Supporting Ithaca's claim to be "the birthplace of the ice cream
sundae," researchers at The History Center in Tompkins County, New York, provide an account of how the sundae
came to be: On Sunday, April 3, 1892 in Ithaca, John M. Scott, a Unitarian Church minister, and Chester Platt,
co-owner of Platt & Colt Pharmacy, created the first historically documented sundae.
[5]

[8]
Platt covered dishes of ice
cream with cherry syrup and candied cherries on a whim. The men named the dish "Cherry Sunday" in honor of the
day it was created. The oldest-known written evidence of a sundae is Platt & Colt's newspaper ad for a "Cherry
Sunday" placed in the Ithaca Daily Journal on April 5, 1892. By May, 1892, the Platt & Colt soda fountain also
Sundae
3
served "Strawberry Sundays," and later, "Chocolate Sundays." Platt & Colt's "Sundays" grew so popular that by
1894, Chester Platt attempted to trademark the term ice cream "Sunday."
[9]
Plainfield, Illinois
Plainfield, Illinois has also claimed to be the home of the very first ice cream sundae. A local belief is that a
Plainfield druggist named Mr. Sonntag created dish "after the urgings of patrons to serve something different." He
named it the "sonntag" after himself, and since Sonntag means Sunday in German, the name was translated to
Sunday, and later was spelled sundae.
[10]
No specific date was given for this claim.
Types of sundaes
Classic ice cream sundae
The original sundae consists of vanilla ice cream topped with a flavored sauce or syrup, whipped cream, and a
maraschino cherry. Classic sundaes are typically named after the flavored syrup employed in the recipe: cherry
sundae, chocolate sundae, strawberry sundae, raspberry sundae, etc. The classic sundae is traditionally served in a
tulip-shaped, footed glass vase. Due to the long association between the shape of the glass and the dessert, this style
of serving dish is generally now known as a sundae glass.
Hot fudge sundae
The classic hot fudge sundae is a variation on the classic and is often a creation of vanilla ice cream, sprinkles, hot
chocolate sauce (hence the "hot fudge"), whipped cream, nuts, and a single bright-red maraschino cherry on top. A
hot fudge sundae can be made with any flavor of ice cream.
Double fudge sundae
The double fudge sundae is like a regular hot fudge sundae, except that it is two times bigger and served in a glass
banana split dish or boat. It is made from the same ingredients a regular hot fudge sundae,but also includes extra
fudge,and including whipped cream, optional nuts or sprinkles, and a maraschino cherry on top.
Caramel sundae
This is a variation of the hot fudge sundae in which heated caramel sauce replaces the heated chocolate sauce. The
other ingredients remain unchanged.
Turtle sundae
The popular combination of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and hot caramel sauces, and toasted pecans is known as a
turtle sundae. The name derives from a popular candy called a turtle, which consists of pecans covered with caramel
and then dipped in chocolate.
Sundae
4
Butterscotch Sundae
This is a variation of the hot fudge sundae in which butterscotch sauce replaces the heated chocolate sauce. The other
ingredients remain unchanged.
Black and white sundae
This sundae features a scoop of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and a scoop of chocolate ice cream with
creamy white marshmallow topping.
Brownie sundae
This is a rich sundae made with brownies, vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, peanuts, hot fudge, and whipped
cream, often topped with maraschino cherry. If a blondie replaces the brownie, then caramel sauce is used as a
topping instead of chocolate sauce.
Banana split
This dessert consists of three sundaes in one, side by side between two halves of a banana, sliced lengthwise. The
classic banana split consists of strawberry ice cream topped with chocolate syrup, chocolate ice cream topped with
crushed pineapple, and vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry syrup. Each scoop is individually garnished with
whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.
American parfait
This is a sundae served in a tall glass filled with layers of ice cream and flavorings, such as granola, syrups, or
liqueurs.
Most expensive
At a price of 1,000 U.S. dollars, the most expensive ice cream sundae is the Serendipity Golden Opulence Sundae,
sold by Serendipity 3 restaurant in New York City.
[11]
The dessert consists of five scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean
ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla, covered in 23-carat edible gold leaf, rare Amedei Porcelana and Chuao
chocolate, American Golden caviar, passion fruit, orange, Armagnac, candied fruits from Paris, marzipan cherries,
and decorated with real gold drages. The sundae is served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18-karat
gold spoon.
[12]
References
[1] "Soda beverages in Philadelphia" (http:/ / books.google. com/ books?id=A9IAAAAAYAAJ& pg=PA163& dq="robert+ m. + green"+ "ice+
cream"& cd=2#v=onepage& q="robert m.green" "ice cream"& f=false). American druggist and pharmaceutical record 48: 163. 1906. .
[2] "Origin of the Ice Cream Sundae" (http:/ / www. epl.org/ index. php?option=com_content& view=article& id=218& Itemid=331). Evanston
Public Library. . Retrieved 2010-1-10. "Some ingenious confectioners and drug store operators, in "Heavenston," obeying the law, served ice
cream with the syrup of your choice without the soda. Thereby complying with the law. They did not serve ice cream sodas. They served
sodas without soda on Sunday. This sodaless soda was the Sunday soda. It proved palatable and popular and orders for Sundays began to cross
the counters on Mondays"
[3] "Man Who Made First Ice Cream Sundae Is Dead". Chicago Daily Tribune: pp.1. July 2, 1939.
[4] "Two Rivers - The Real Birthplace of the Ice Cream Sundae" (http:/ / www. tworiverseconomicdevelopment. org/ relocation/ history-sundae.
htm). Two Rivers Economic Development. . Retrieved 2007-06-26. "The ice cream sundae story dates back to 1881 when chocolate sauce was
used to make ice cream sodas at Ed Berners' soda fountain at 1404 15th Street. One day, a vacationing George Hallauer - a Two Rivers native
then living in Illinois - asked Berners to put some of the chocolate sauce over a dish of ice cream. According to a 1929 interview with Berners,
he apparently didn't think it was a good idea."
[5] "New intel in the sundae wars: IHS grads scoop up ice cream facts" (http:/ / www. theithacajournal. com/ apps/ pbcs. dll/ article?AID=/
20070626/ NEWS01/ 706260304/ 1002). Ithaca Journal. 2007-07-26. . Retrieved 2007-07-26.
[6] Laura Zaichkin (June 30, 2006). "Sundae wars continue between Ithaca and Two Rivers". Ithaca Journal.
Sundae
5
[7] "The origin of ice-cream" (http:/ / news.bbc. co. uk/ cbbcnews/ hi/ find_out/ guides/ tech/ ice-cream/ newsid_3634000/ 3634978. stm). BBC.
2004-9-7. . Retrieved 2010-1-10. "Ice Cream sundaes were invented when it became illegal to sell ice-cream sodas on a Sunday in the
American town of Evanston during the late 19th century. To get around the problem some traders replaced the soda with syrup and called the
dessert an "Ice Cream Sunday." They replaced the final "y" with an "e" to avoid upsetting religious leaders"
[8] Michael Turback (2004). "Ithaca's Gift to the World" (http:/ / www. icecreamsundae. com/ ithacasgift. html). . Retrieved 2007-06-26.
[9] "Documenting Ithaca New York as the Home of the Ice Cream Sundae" (http:/ / www. visitithaca. com/ sundaySundae. cfm). Ithaca
Convention & Visitors Bureau. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-08-20. "On Sunday afternoon, April 3,1892, after services at the Unitarian Church,
Reverend John M. Scott paid his usual visit to the Platt & Colt Pharmacy in downtown Ithaca. Shop proprietor, Chester C. Platt, was church
treasurer and he met often with Scott for conversation after services. Seeking refreshment for himself and the reverend, Platt asked his
fountain clerk, DeForest Christiance, for two bowls of ice cream. But instead of serving the reverend plain vanilla, Platt took the bowls and
topped each with cherry syrup and a candied cherry. The finished dish looked delightful and tasted deliciousso much so that the men felt
obliged to name the new creation. After some debate, Scott suggested that it be named for the day it was created. Platt concurred and the first
"Cherry Sunday" was born."
[10] "Village of Plainfield Historical Information Directory" (http:/ / www. plainfield-il. org/ visiting/ villagehistory. php). . Retrieved
2011-04-03. "Plainfield is also claimed to be the home of the very first ice cream sundae. Story says that a Plainfield druggist created the
novelty after the urgings of patrons to serve something different. Topping some ice cream with syrup, he named it the "sonntag" after his
surname. Sonntag means Sunday in German, thus the ice cream sundae was born."
[11] "Serious Food" (http:/ / www.serendipity3.com/ food. htm). Serendipity3. . Retrieved 2006-06-26.
[12] "Got $1,000? Why Not Try a Golden Opulence Sundae?" (http:/ / www. dailyolive. com/ got_1000_why_no. html). Daily Olive. . Retrieved
2006-09-02.
External links
Wisconsin Historical Society ice cream marker (http:/ / www. wisconsinhistory. org/ dictionary/ index.
asp?action=view& term_id=12282& keyword=sundae)
Historical documents supporting Ithaca as the birthplace of the sundae (http:/ / www. visitithaca. com/
sundaySundae. cfm)
Article Sources and Contributors
6
Article Sources and Contributors
Sundae Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=424903635 Contributors: 21daysbrook, 790, Acalamari, Ale jrb, Annefundy11, Anomie, Arteitle, Ash, Ayla, Betchplease,
Betomorrow, Bill Thayer, BillFlis, Binksternet, Bobo192, Bubbha, Catherineyronwode, Charles Gaudette, CharlieRCD, Chensiyuan, ChesterMarcol, Chicken Wing, Chickencha, Chris 73, Chzz,
Cometstyles, Cornellrockey, Crism, Cyberdan, Davidjk, DougsTech, Dp76764, Dpr, Dyl, Ed g2s, Edison, Egmontaz, Emufarmers, Enfieldfalls, Epbr123, Erianna, Everyking, Extransit,
Faradayplank, Flyguy649, Frenchie006, Furrykef, GorillaWarfare, GreenReaper, Gune, Icemuon, Icey, Italianlover07, ItsLassieTime, JBsupreme, JDCMAN, JForget, JSH-alive, JaGa,
Jacksinterweb, Jagro, Jauhienij, Julesd, JulieADriver, Kaiwhakahaere, Kazvorpal, Khatru2, Kinkyturnip, Kjoonlee, L'Aquatique, LAPalms, Leandrod, Leevclarke, Lisamh, LittleOldMe, Lolly
extra, MacFodder, Materialscientist, Me491, Meelar, Mercenario97, Mickeymousechen, Mike Rosoft, Modeha, Moonjuiceredhead, MpegMan, MrBula, N5iln, Nauticashades, NawlinWiki,
NeilN, Netoholic, No One of Consequence, Notneb82, Nubiatech, Ortolan88, Pallap, Plasticup, Porterhse, Proofbyelimination, Quinten, Qwe, RaCha'ar, Rami R, Razorflame, Reaper Eternal,
Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ), Ripvandeacon, Rockhopper10r, Samogitia, Saxifrage, SchfiftyThree, Sebastian Meyer, Sephiroth BCR, Shai-kun, Shsilver, Simeon H, SlimVirgin, Smallwaffle,
SoCalSuperEagle, Species8473, SpuriousQ, Spymatty, StaticGull, StephanCom, Sundaehistorian, The Nixinator, Tide rolls, Tintero, Ubardak, Varlaam, VirtualDelight, WereSpielChequers,
Wetman, WikiKing1234, Wikiwow, Xtreambar, Yueni, Zara-arush, Zeamays, 301 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
Image:StrawberrySundae.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:StrawberrySundae.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: USDA photo by: Ken Hammond
Image:Danryans3.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Danryans3.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Contributors: Chensiyuan
Image:Wisconsin Historical Marker ice cream sundae.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Wisconsin_Historical_Marker_ice_cream_sundae.jpg License: Creative
Commons Zero Contributors: User:Porterhse
File:LgIthacaDailyJournal.gif Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:LgIthacaDailyJournal.gif License: Public Domain Contributors: Original uploader was Richard Arthur
Norton (1958- ) at en.wikipedia
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
http:/ / creativecommons. org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3. 0/