August 2nd is Ice Cream Sandwich Day!!
It’s written that the ice cream sandwich was invented by a New York City pushcart vendor in 1899. This early version was made of vanilla ice cream pressed between two thin graham wafers. The demand was so high for them, that the peddler insisted on exact change (a penny). He was too busy MAKING the handheld desserts to make change for his customers! Ice cream sandwiches are one of the original street foods!
Here’s what The New York Tribune wrote about this enterprising businessman in July 1900:
“The ice cream sandwich man, who sells quarter-inch layers of alleged ice cream between tiny slabs of water wafers, did a big business during the hot spell and his field of operation was within the district inhabited by the Nordic enclaves, and his pushcart was elaborately decorated with signs in runic characters. He made the sandwiches quickly in a tin mold, and was kept so busy that he could not make change, but insisted on receiving the actual price for each ice cream sandwich — 1 cent.”
By 1905, blocks of ice cream wrapped in wax paper were sold by a horse-driven cart at Atlantic City’s beach in New Jersey!
LOOK!
via Shorpy
The best part? Each one still cost a PENNY.
Later, in 1945, a man by the name of Jerry Newberg started selling (what we would recognize as) ice cream sandwiches at Forbes Field, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Hey! I found some things to help you celebrate this deliciously summer holiday, like…
An ice cream sandwich PAN and an ice cream sandwich MAKER:
AND, this ice cream sandwich POOL FLOAT is a great way to celebrate this frozen treat!
Lastly… check this out… THIS is what an ice cream sandwich looks like in Singapore!
Have a great ICE CREAM SANDWICH DAY, everyone!!