Sno-ball
 A sno-ball from Hansen's Sno-Bliz in New Orleans | |
| Type | Frozen dessert |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Created by | Ernest Hansen |
| Main ingredients | Water, cane syrup, flavoring, marshmallow |
A sno-ball is a confection made with finely shaved ice and flavored sugar syrup. Commonly confused with the snow cone, the ice of a sno-ball is fine and fluffy; while a snow cone's ice is coarse, crunchy, and granular. Moreover, whereas in a snow cone the flavored syrup sinks to the bottom of the cup, in a sno-ball the ice absorbs the syrup. [citation needed] Sno-balls are particularly common in the cities of Baltimore and New Orleans.
Sno-balls are a seasonal treat as they are generally sold only from roughly March to October. They are vended from "sno-ball stands" throughout parts of Louisiana and Maryland.[1]
History
The snowball's roots can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution. In the mid-1800s, ice houses shipped wagons with huge blocks of ice from New York to the South and, when they passed through Baltimore, kids would beg for some ice shavings on humid summer days.
Soon, moms in town began to make flavorings to sweeten the ice. The most common was a simple golden-hued egg custard—made with eggs, vanilla, and sugar—and that's still the most popular flavor to this day, now mimicked with a vanilla-laced syrup. Melted marshmallow, which is sticky but pourable, became a common topping, adding a dollop of sweetness and a creamy texture to the snowball..[2][3]
The Great Depression only heightened the snowball's popularity because the treat was cheap to make and cheap to buy (today, most will still cost you under $1). In 1932, the stands were so numerous that people complained there were too many in their neighborhoods. Baltimore's mayor at the time, Harold W. Jackson, defended the purveyors, saying, "Some of us may be down to eating snowballs soon, and I don't want to put any limitations on the trade.".[4][1]
Flavors
The following list contains many of the sno-ball flavors available at sno-ball stands around New Orleans.
- Almond
- Banana
- Bahama Mama
- Blackberry
- Blue Bubble Gum
- Blueberry
- Blue Raspberry
- Buttered popcorn [1]
- Cake batter [1]
- Cherry
- Chocolate [1]
- Coconut
- Coffee
- Cotton Candy
- Cream soda
- Dreamsicle
- Daiquiri
- French vanilla
- Grape
- Green apple
- Hawaiian Punch
- Ice cream
- Joker
- Key lime pie [1]
- King cake[1]
- Kiwi
- Lemon [1]
- Lemon-ice
- Lemon-lime
- Lime
- Margarita
- Nectar
- Orange
- Orchid vanilla
- Peach
- Peanut butter [1]
- Piña colada
- Pineapple
- Pink lemonade
- Raspberry
- Rocket 88
- Root beer
- Silver fox
- Spearmint
- Strawberry [1]
- Tamarind [1]
- Tangerine
- Tiger's blood
- Tutti frutti
- Vanilla malt [1]
- Watermelon
- Wedding cake
Variations
- Cheesecake Stuffed Snowball:[5] created by Sno-La Snowballs, the snowball is stuffed with cheesecake in the center, surrounded by the snowball flavor of choice.
- Stuffed sno-ball: a sno-ball stuffed with vanilla or chocolate softserve ice cream[6]
- Cream-flavored sno-ball: a sno-ball made with flavored syrup mixed with evaporated milk[6]
- Sugar-free sno-ball: a sno-ball made with sugar-free syrup
- Toppings: soft-serve ice cream, condensed milk, marshmallow fluff, Oreos[1][6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Morago, Greg (14 July 2011). "A tour of the New Orleans' sno-ball stands nets some wondrous samplings". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ Roahen, Sara. "Interview with Ashley and Gerard Hansen" (PDF). Southern Foodways Alliance. Southern Foodways Alliance. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ Brady, Jeff. "Tasty Summertime Tradition in New Orleans". npr.org. NPR. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ Ramos, Dante (28 June 1997). "That's Snow Business" (PDF). The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ "About Us". Snola Snowball Lounge, New Orleans Snowball, Original Cheesecake Stuffed Snowball. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
- ^ a b c Casbon, Hartley. "GoNOLA Top Five: Best New Orleans Snowball Flavors". goNOLA.com. goNOLA.com. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
Further reading
- Williams, Brian (June 9, 2006). "The comfort of a sno-ball". NBC News. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- "Real deal: Sno-balls, a taste of New Orleans in Wilmington". Delawareonline. July 3, 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- Burwell, Sloane (July 27, 2009). "Sweet summer: New Orleans sno balls". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
External links
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 "How It's Done: Hansen's Atomic Sno-Ball". WWLTV News. |
