Close your eyes and step back in time. It’s 1904, during the St. Louis World’s Fair; a seven month spectacular expedition of the world’s biggest, newest, and impactful innovations, inventions, and exhibitions. Thousands of attendees line up everyday, with 18 million recorded attending in total, purchasing tickets for 50 cents (adults) or 5 cents (children)- equivalent to $18.55 and $1.86 today. 62 countries around the globe were represented in this fair; live performers, vendors, artwork, inventions, and live demonstrations, from all diverse walks of life. Of the many inventions and exhibitions, many dishes and food items sold at the fair’s 125 eateries have become staples in our diets to this day! We’re focusing on just one of the many new and upcoming foods that gained popularity at the St. Louis World’s Fair at the next Teen Foodie program.
Bring your appetite as we serve up different dishes invented in the USA in our Teen Foodies programs this summer, hosted by WPPL’s Teen Librarian, Bethany. For the second Teen Foodies on July 8, we’re diving into the history of the waffle cone!
What is a “Waffle Cone?”
Waffle cones are typically made of flour, salt, egg, sugar, butter and milk, mixed together, cooked in a waffle iron and rolled into a thin sweet cone while still hot. These cones have a wide opening at the top, enough space for a couple scoops of ice cream and sweet toppings of your choice.
What is the history behind “Waffle Cones”?
The backstory of waffle cones dates back farther than the St. Louis World Fair, with numerous contrasting and conflicting stories told through the past two centuries. Definitively, the earliest recorded recipe for what could be considered a waffle cone comes from Mrs. A.B. Marshall’s Cookery Book (1887), published in Britain. In this cookbook, a recipe for “Cornets with Cream” is listed; a sweet, thin cookie formed into a cornet and filled with whipped cream, iced cream, or water ice (otherwise known as slushies, in today’s lingo). Around this time, ice cream was typically sold at vendors in busy streets, at fairs or boardwalks, and in cone-shaped glass bowls, called “penny-licks”. These bowls would be reused by the next customer, without washing. This method reduced the amount of bowls being used at one time, but potentially caused the spread of illnesses among customers. A single use, sanitary and easy clean-up option to hold ice cream was in high demand. Italian immigrants to America can be attributed to bringing the initial concept to ice cream vendors, taking waffled cookies and forming them into bowls while warm. Specifically, two Italian immigrants can be pinpointed for this exact idea- Antonio Valvona and Italo Marchiony, who entered into the cutthroat ice cream industry, applying for patents for their own versions of a mold for ice cream holders in 1901 and 1903, respectively.
By the time the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair rolled around, ice cream and edible holding devices were not necessarily new. Millions of attendees of the fair visited the fairgrounds over the seven months it was open, and visited the “Pike”, a mile-long precursor to a food court, filled with hundreds of food vendors and concession stands representing foods and dishes from across the globe. In the hot temperatures in the peak season of the fair, visitors looked for something cool and refreshing to dine on; ice cream in edible cornicopias were a very popular choice! However, there was not one specific vendor that was listed selling ice cream or water ice in cones at the event that we can definitely point as the creator of the ice cream cone.
Since the St. Louis World’s Fair, multiple tall tales have been created around the true inventor of the ice cream cone. One points to Syrian immigrant Ernest Hamwi, who was selling zalabia, a thin Middle Eastern pastry similar to waffles, that he curled into a cone. Another tale attributes Abe Doumar, Lebanese immigrant, to actually giving Hamwi the idea to curl the zalabias into a cone shape. Another one goes to David Avayou, an immigrant from Turkey, who claimed his corns were inspired by pastries he witnessed in France. Similarly to the Key Lime Pie, we may never know who really made the first ice cream cone, but it’s clear that this dish is rooted firmly in American history.
I hope you learned something new about waffle cones and the history behind this American dessert! Teenagers, want to try it out? Check out the Teen Foodies program on July 8, registration opens July 1st.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/articles/1904-st-louis-worlds-fair-new-american-foods
https://www.midstory.org/america-the-world-the-legacy-of-the-1904-st-louis-worlds-fair/
https://www.seriouseats.com/ice-cream-cone-history
Randolph Smith Lyon, Mildred Frances Lyon, Mrs. Montague Lyon (Frances Robnett Smith Lyon), Montague Lyon, Jr., eating ice cream cones at the 1904 World’s Fair. – By Unknown Photographer – 1904, St Louis, MO. Digital scan at https://mohistory.org/collections/item/N27536
