Monday, August 2, 2010

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

What better way to cool off on a hot Texas day than to enjoy a cool refreshing ice cream sandwich. While it is not clear when August 2 became National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, everyone would agree it is a great way to cool off during a hot day. This treat is not common to just the United States but enjoyed around the world. Jerry Newberg invented the version we know today in 1945 while selling ice cream at Forbes Field. However, a 1905 photo taken at Atlantic City show a vendor selling "original ice cream sandwiches" for 1 cent. Alternatives to the customary wafers are used. One company is San Francisco uses oatmeal cookies and dips the sandwich in dark chocolate.

Scotland, calls them "sliders" and may consist of one wafer and one block of chocolate covered nougat. Referred to as nougat or Chocolate Sliders, a sandwich with two blocks of nougat is called a double nougat with nougat pronounced nugget. Ice cream sandwiches go by their commercial names of "Giant Sandwich," Monaco Bar," or "Maxibon" in Australia. The "Maxibon" has two wafers on half of the sandwich with the other half dipped in chocolate with nuts.

In Singapore, wafer ice cream known as pontong (cut) ice cream is a favorite. Favorite flavors are chocolate, peppermint, honeydew, sweet corn, red bean, yam, and ripple.

So whatever your favorite flavor or style is enjoy a ice cream sandwich today preferably inside.

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