Stately Scoops: What Ice Cream Flavor Represents Your State?
In 1986, after much petitioning on behalf of schoolchildren, the corn muffin became the official state muffin of Massachusetts. Delaware claimed crab puffs, New Jersey invented salt water taffy, and Missouri is the home of Ozark pudding. Every state, it seems, has a handful of foods to call their own. Yet out of all fifty, not a single one has an official ice cream flavor.
How can that be?
While their goals may not be as lofty as being written into legislature, Scott and Kim Myles are working hard to make ice cream with location-specific roots. They’re the creators of 5 Boroughs Ice Cream, a Queens-based company devoted to dreaming up flavors for every neighborhood in New York.
Currently there are seven kinds, including Rich White Vanilla (Upper East Side), Mangodesh (Jackson Heights), and Amaretto Amoré (Bay Ridge). I sampled the Cha Cha Chocolate (South Bronx), which was super-spicy (ice cream that burns at the back of your throat!), thanks to a generous dose of chipotle, habanero, and cinnamon.
As I sat there, carton in one hand and spoon in the other, I got to thinking: is there a single flavor that would encompass all of New York? The best I could come up with was a half-chocolate, half-vanilla combination—an ode to the black and white cookie. And how about a flavor for where I grew up, just outside of Providence, RI? While I concluded that Clam Cake Crunch wouldn't quite catch on, Frozen-Lemonade Swirl (a nod to Del's) just might be hit.
If your home state had its own ice cream, what would it be? Imagine an official, government-sanctioned flavor for each of the fifty states.
Now that's my kind of politics!
Map outline from 50states.com.
About the author: Lucy Baker is a graduate student in the writing program at Sarah Lawrence College. Before returning to school to pursue an MFA, she was an assistant cookbook editor at HarperCollins. She lives in Brooklyn and is currently obsessed with all things fennel.
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55 Comments:
Rhode Island is totally Coffee Ice Cream (made with either Autocrat or Eclipse), but I think the Del's Lemonade Swirl would be a hit as well.
modysoul at 3:51PM on 02/28/08
Oregon would have to be hazelnut (we call them filberts) flavored ice cream swirled with Marion berries and crunchy granola!
oregonpinot at 4:08PM on 02/28/08
Well you know anything with Florida would be associated with Citrus. Orange creme? Lime? Lemon?
jcrisco at 4:08PM on 02/28/08
I'm not really sure what flavors are associated with NH. Maine gets blueberry, Vermont gets maple, and Massachusetts gets Fluff. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of my home state is The Old Man of the Mountain but I don't think granite-flavored ice cream would be such a hit. Maybe just vanilla with something hard and crunchy in it like cookies or candy to represent the Granite State. The Old Man would definitely have to be on the package though!
K at 4:15PM on 02/28/08
I'm hoping Virginia would go with Peanut Butter flavored and not Smithfield Ham...
machellebelle at 4:18PM on 02/28/08
Although we all have our ideas about our respective home state (original or adopted), I found this site to be useful as well - http://www.foodtimeline.org/statefoods.html
(In fact, much of the information in this posting was reflected here - http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq4.html#cookbooks)
CreamyOnTheInside at 4:19PM on 02/28/08
Colorado would probably have to be Rocky Road. ("Rockies" Road?)
rheogs at 4:31PM on 02/28/08
Minnesota would have something simple and delicious, served on-a-stick in true State Fair style. And sponsored by General Mills.
LiveToEat at 4:32PM on 02/28/08
....how about Rocky(mountain)Road for Colorado?
bisbee at 4:33PM on 02/28/08
I don't believe that the 31 flavors of Baskin-Robbins is going to be sufficient.
@machellebelle: As a resident of Virginia, I'm sure we'll pick some flavor that has nothing to do with the Commonwealth, like mango.
feep at 4:43PM on 02/28/08
Fun thought!
Pennsylvania:
Chocolate ice cream with Hershey's chocolate chunks. Perhaps pretzel bits as well (for the UTZ brand of pretzels based in Hanover, PA)? Or, perhaps to recognize the Amish community, some type of molasses ice cream (or vanilla with molasses swirls) with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves as a sort of shoo-fly pie ice cream (perhaps have chunks of crust mixed in?). Not sure they make it, but it could be good!
luswim06 at 4:47PM on 02/28/08
We are the citrus state here in Florida, so we'd be Key Lime pie - an ode to Key West.
bitchincamero at 4:48PM on 02/28/08
Would New York get one for the city and one for the rest of the state? Because not to discount the cultural weight of the Big Apple or anything (or the pretty yummy-sounding 5 Boroughs Ice Cream flavors), there are a lot more of us than there are of you.
justjoan at 4:57PM on 02/28/08
Here in Illinois corn is king so maybe a sweet corn flavor. Not sure how to work in Abe Lincoln...
peggywm at 5:07PM on 02/28/08
I remember Alton making some avocado ice cream on a recent episode, so I'm thinking that would have to be California since FL seems to have already laid claim to the citrus category.
:-P
A stretch might be to come up with one that contains some kind of golden-colored nougat (Gold Nugget)
LoCo at 5:17PM on 02/28/08
California would have to be divided into north and south. SoCal would have to be Mexican-spiced chocolate (the kind with cinnamon) with almonds. Northern California can have golden caramel.
beth1 at 5:25PM on 02/28/08
i think maryland could be lemon sorbet with peppermint stick chunks scattered about. we get lemon halves with a peppermint stick straw every year at the state fair.
pandabear at 5:33PM on 02/28/08
Louisiana would have to be pecan praline with a Bourbon-sugar swirl.
Pennsylvania could have a shoofly pie ice cream with Hershey chocolate chunks.
Penelope at 5:52PM on 02/28/08
California is such a hodgepodge of cultures -- not that other states aren't -- but every part of the state is very different. We have a little bit of everything here including deserts, beaches, mountains and agriculture. It would be impossible to represent everything unless there was something to tie it all together -- the Gold Rush. So, I'm seeing chocolate (dirt) and toffee (gold). It seems simple for such a vast state! I'm sure someone could come up with a better idea.
To represent San Francisco, I would say organic vanilla bean with different kinds of nuts -- because S.F. is a bit nutty! And, it certainly has nuts of different kinds.
misseditor at 5:56PM on 02/28/08
Hawaii could definitely have any number of flavors...taro (because of poi), haupia (a coconut dessert), mango, pineapple, Kona coffee, macadamia nut, li hing mui (a sweet-sour Chinese spice that goes on everything!)...I don't know how we'd choose! Hm, we could even have Spam flavor...
thebluedot at 6:05PM on 02/28/08
I'm nominating West Virginia for Moon-Pie ice cream! I'm calling dibs since no one else has mentioned them, but an alternative could be something with dark-chocolate cookie crumbles to look like coal...Or maybe some kind of ice cream float as whitewater...I need to stop thinking about this...
Charcuterista at 6:10PM on 02/28/08
Followed COTI link to Indiana...Van Camp's Beans, Wonder Bread, sugar cream pie & lots of popcorn! Uhhh...Caramel Popcorn Crunch?
JEP at 6:11PM on 02/28/08
Well, let's see, Texans invented Dr. Pepper, but I think Dr. Pepper-flavored ice cream could be pretty gross! Maybe some sort of salsa-type ice cream, like sweet tomato ice cream?
I'll have to come back to this later. :)
Christina at 6:24PM on 02/28/08
NJ:
Blueberries
Cranberries
Tomatoes
Please leave that last one out of my ice cream! :-)
Curlz at 6:28PM on 02/28/08
hmm...all the states I've spent time in:
NY= neopolitan (classic for a classic)
LA- I like the Pecan Praline but maybe Hurricane flavor for NOLA (that Pat O's kind, not the Katrina kind)
SC- hmmm...grits? Sweet grit flavor...not sure
AL- an ode to history- Chocolate and Vanilla
TN- Whiskey...easy one
NH- I don't think Lobster ice cream would fly, maybe salt water taffy pieces in sweet cream?
RI- I agree with Coffee or Lemon but maybe it should be Coffee with donut chunks?
CO- Rocky Road...once again, buffalo flavor= Not a Good Idea!!!
sqtip at 6:33PM on 02/28/08
Following JEP's lead -- maybe Caramel Corn Crunch for IN, although it probably wouldn't take too much to make sugar cream pie into ice cream.
IndyGal at 7:01PM on 02/28/08
i've had avocado ice cream! it's real good, if you want to try it out, go to the ice cream section of any asian market (ranch 99!) and buy a pint to try it out.... hmmm... delish.
chlamers at 7:31PM on 02/28/08
having actually had and liked it, i think i'd nominate cheerwine ice cream for north carolina's state flavor.. peach cobbler/pie flavor would be another option but it seems like georgia's got that one on lock
aeschylus at 7:51PM on 02/28/08
I guess Arizona's would be prickly pear ...
OneWallKitchen at 8:01PM on 02/28/08
@feep- maybe pineapple? Have you been to Williamsburg? They're everywhere...hospitality
machellebelle at 8:24PM on 02/28/08
@aeschylus-- I agree with cheerwine! It's the one soda I'll actually drink
machellebelle at 8:25PM on 02/28/08
I'd like to see macadamia coconut for Hawaii, and "Big Apple" for NY- that way NYC and Upstate are represented. Maybe Michigan could be corn flake crunch.
Kerosena at 8:43PM on 02/28/08
I think my home state of Michigan could be Mackinaw Island fudge, although I'm not sure what my current state of residence, Illinois, should have.
jazspin at 9:15PM on 02/28/08
I grew up in SC, and every family (at least the ones that have lived there for several generations) had its own variation on the basic pound cake. some make lemon, others vanilla, others chocolate. so, perhaps lemon pound cake (think chunks of poundcake in vanilla ice cream) with a nice ribbon of strawberry jam.
beth1 at 9:23PM on 02/28/08
Massachusetts is known for a lot of foods that would be horrible in ice cream, such as cod and Fenway franks...but cranberry sorbet?
wellred at 10:05PM on 02/28/08
Blue Bell Ice Cream is #1 brand in Texas. There are four food groups in Texas: barbecue, tex-mex, chicken fried steak and Blue Bell. Their best seller is Homemade Vanilla
eatorama at 11:34PM on 02/28/08
Massachusetts could be chocolate chip cookie dough since that's where they were invented!
@aeschylus - Also agreed w/ the cheerwine for NC! Also - some sort of sweet tea flavored ice cream would also fair well here or anywhere in the south
krispychikin at 11:39PM on 02/28/08
@ OneWallKitchen - I was trying to come up with something for Arizona too! Pretty much all we have for regional foods is Mexican and Cactus. Maybe a Mexican Hot Chocolate flavor? Horchata?
oooh Horchata Ice Cream sounds dreamy...
and @sqtip - The RI state coffee milk ice cream with dunkin' donut chunks would go over like gangbusters here!
modysoul at 8:14AM on 02/29/08
DC: half-smoke icecream :)
eternal at 8:36AM on 02/29/08
Hmmm, well it looks like no one did Ohio so...Graeters makes a flavor called Buckeye Blitz, which is chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cookie dough and chocolate chunks. For those who aren't OSU-obsessed, maybe a paw paw ice cream to represent the Southeastern part and Queen City Cayenne from Jeni's to represent the Cinciannti area. I'm not really sure about the North...I always think of dipping dots because of Cedar Point in Sandusky. It seems hard to have one ice cream to classify a whole state.
earlybirdkate at 9:22AM on 02/29/08
I grew up in RI and would have to agree that Coffee Ice Cream is the perfect flavor for that state. And blueberry for Maine, although there is a local ice cream shop that serves Lobster Ice Cream!......
mainegirl at 9:28AM on 02/29/08
Considering that NJ is the most densely populated state, I'd say it would have to be an ice cream loaded with as much as you could possibly put in it without it losing the actual cream. My town is so ethnically diverse, you'd have to mix in as many international flavors as possible. Not sure how it would actually taste, though.
hereandthe at 9:43AM on 02/29/08
@earlybirdkate: Buckeye Blitz is my favorite thing about Ohio.
Lauren Krueger at 12:01PM on 02/29/08
For Missouri, can we have custard instead of ice cream? Maybe from Ted Drewe's on old Route 66 . . .
Mizbee at 12:23PM on 02/29/08
Washington would either be cherry or blackberry. Wait: cherry-blackberry!
ErisianSaint at 1:57PM on 02/29/08
I was having a hard time coming up with something for Cali, but then LoCo nailed it. Hass ice cream, all the way!
Ravara at 3:36PM on 02/29/08
have to agree with the other coffee for RI btw autocrat has a website and will ship a min order of their syrup cross country LoL Ala would have to be either catfish icecream (too iron chef) or probably pecan praline.
huney_bumper at 8:41AM on 03/01/08
I guess Vermont would have to be maple--made with all-natural, all-organic ingredients, of course. But we could also just identify with every single Ben&Jerry's flavor. Or the Vermonster, for that matter.
racklebelize at 2:05PM on 03/01/08
Hmm, how do you memorialize the Show Me State and the Gateway to the West?? I think it's pretty obvious what MO is known for- we'd have to go with a nice frosty Budweiser Float!
TemperedWoman at 9:50AM on 03/03/08
As a former Cincinnatian, I miss Graters. We don't have them in NE Ohio. What seems common in most Ohio ice cream dairies like Velvet, Pierres, Reiter, Homemade Brand, Graters, mom and pop roadsides and so forth is the use of peanut butter and chocolate to imitate the buckeye candy. So, I nominate a vanilla ice cream with broken bits of buckeyes swirled through it.
ohbearly at 9:56AM on 03/03/08
I've heard of lobster ice cream but I can't say it sounds appealing. We ((MA) are the home of Fluff though, and NECCO wafers. How about a Marshmallow Fluff with NECCO mix-ins?
jacquelinec at 10:18AM on 03/03/08
Deleware would have to be peach. (but I do so miss Blue Bell Ice Cream-The Best Ice Cream in the country!)
giordano1956 at 10:33AM on 03/03/08
I always associate Peppermint Bonbon w/Minnesota. It's what I grew up eating.
aharste at 10:34AM on 03/03/08
In Hawai`i would have to be coconut or pineapple or a combination of the two.... ummmm yummie, then serve it with poi cookies.
www.ediblehawaiianislands.com
gloriana at 4:57PM on 03/03/08
How about real iced cream for MN.
SB (temps still falling below zero this week!)
srhcb at 6:45PM on 03/03/08