Snow cone

This article is about the food snow cone. For the meteorological phenomenon, see snow roller.

Snow cone with cherry syrup

Snow cones or snow balls are a variation of the shaved ice dessert commonly served throughout North America in paper cones or styrofoam cups. The dessert consists of ice shavings that are topped with flavored sugar syrup.

Depending on the region of the content, the terms "snowball" and "snow cone" may refer to different things' where the distinction is made, the former refers to a dessert made of finely shaved ice ("like soft fresh snow"), while the latter contains ice that is coarser and more granular ("crunchy").

History

Snowball

Industrial Revolution

In the 1850s the American Industrial Revolution made ice commercially available. Ice houses in New York would commonly sell ice to places like Florida. To transport the ice to Florida, the ice houses would send a wagon with a huge block of ice south. The route to Florida would pass right though Baltimore, MD. In Baltimore, children would run up to the wagon and ask for a small scraping of ice. Before long, mothers started to make flavoring in anticipation of their child receiving some ice. The first flavor these moms made was a current Baltimore favorite: egg custard. Egg custard was an easy flavor to make as all that was in it was eggs, vanilla and sugar.

Theaters

By the 1870s, the snowball's popularity had risen to the degree that in the warm summer months, theaters would sell snowballs to keep their patrons cool. Because of this association with the theater, snowballs were thought of as an upper-class commodity. Signs in theaters instructing patrons to finish their snowballs before coming in to the second act are the earliest tangible evidence of snowballs. In the theaters in Baltimore during the time hand shavers were used to shave the ice. Around the city, snowballs were served on newspaper, but in the classy theaters, butchers' boats were used. In the 1890s, many people started to invent easier ways for snowballs to be made. In that decade, six different patents for electric ice shavers were filed.

Great Depression and World War II

During the Great Depression and World War II, snowballs came to be available outside of Baltimore. As snowballs were so cheap, it was one of the few treats that people could afford. This inexpensiveness earned snowballs the nicknames 'Hard Times Sundae', and 'Penny Sundae'. People in need of a job would sell snowballs as it required little overhead. The treat became more popular during World War II, when all available ice cream was sent to soldiers, creating a need for an icy treat. This new found lack of competition helped snowballs became popular across the country.

Similar confections

In Hawaii, "shave ice" is similar to snowballs, and is sold in cone-shaped paper cups. "Rainbow," a popular flavor, consists of three different colors of syrup chosen usually for their color rather than their taste compatibility. Commonly, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or sweetened azuki beans is first added to the bottom of the cup, and is capped with condensed milk.

The dessert ice kachang served in Malaysia and Singapore is another form of shaved ice. Ice kachang originally was served with red beans but now includes various fruits and other sweet toppings.

In Japan they are known as kakigori and in India it is called a "gola" and usually served on popsicle sticks.

Gallery

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  Hansen's Sno-Bliz

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  Children with shave ice treat.

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  Syrups used for Hawaiian shave ice.

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  Snow cone vending truck in Arizona.

See also

• Italian ice - Water ice
• Piragua - the Puerto Rican version
• Snow cream - A cream or snow and dairy based dessert
• Slush / Slushie - A shaved ice drink
• Slurpee / Slush Puppie / Icee - Brand name slushes