Fact Finder - Food and Drink

Fact
The History of the Ice Cream Cone
Category
Food and Drink
Subcategory
Everyday Foods
Country
United States
Description
The ice cream cone was popularized at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair as a solution to a supply problem. An ice cream vendor, Arnold Fornachou, ran out of clean glass bowls to serve his scoops. A neighboring vendor, Ernest Hamwi, was selling 'zalabis'—thin, waffle-like Persian pastries. Hamwi rolled one of his warm waffles into a cone shape and gave it to Fornachou, who placed a scoop of ice cream on top. The 'World's Fair Cornucopia' was a massive hit. Before the cone, ice cream was often served in 'penny licks,' small glass cups that customers licked clean and returned, which was a major sanitation concern. The edible cone made ice cream a truly portable and hygienic everyday treat.