There has been much controversy about where the invention of the ice cream cone began. What is certain, however, is that edible ice-creams cones have been enjoyed by people for over one hundred years.
Conical shaped ice-cream cones are the typically shaped cones people all around the world have learned to love.
Paper, glass and metal cones were used for serving ice cream during the 19th century in Germany, Britain and France. During this time ice cream was only affordable to the wealthy, due to its luxurious ingredients and storage expenses.
During the time of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s ice cream became more popular and less expensive, and vendors on the street were selling ice cream to anyone who could afford to pay a penny.
History of the invention of the ice cream cone dates back to the year 1904, at the St. Louis World fair where Ernest A. Hamwi had a store that was selling a crisp waffle pastry known as zalabis. The store of Mr Hamwi was next to an ice cream vendor.
During this time ice cream was immensely popular and eventually the owner of the vendor ran out of dishes in which to serve the ice-cream. Mr Hamwi stated that he folded one of his pastries into a conical shape, allowed it to cool and placed some ice cream into it. The invention of the ice cream cone was underway.
The people buying the ice cream were thrilled, and it became one of the greatest food inventions in modern times. Today, one can choose from a variety of cones ranging from the waffle cone to the sugar cone and cake cup cone.
Controversy surrounding the actual invention of the ice cream cone still exists today, it is said that Hamwi may possibly have sold the first edible ice cream cone but he is not the first person to have patented the idea. It has also been argued that during the night of the fair on 23 July 1904, there were over 50 stores selling ice cream and it is possible that more than one was using waffle pastry as an ice cream cone.
Nick Kabbaz, a Syrian immigrant, has said that he and his brother Albert were the creators of the first edible cone. Apparently, Mr Kabbaz and his brother were working for Mr Hamwi at his booth the night of the fair. Mr Kabbaz claims that he came up with the idea of eating ice cream with the waffle pastry and when folding it, created the iconical cone shape. Kabbaz eventually became the president of an ice cream cone company in St. Louis. Either way, a definite certainty is that the popularity of the cone is ascribable to the St. Louis World Fair in 1904.
Previous recordings of the ice cream cone have been found which makes the settling of the dispute of the first cone ever created even harder to solve. Dating back to as early as 1807 a painting was found which showed a woman eating from what looked like a cone.
In 1888 Mrs Marshall’s cookbook mentions the use of a cone to serve ice cream, in the year 1902 Antonio Valvona patented a machine creating ice cream biscuit cups. Despite stories told and untold about the invention of the ice cream cone we do know for sure that the cone has been popular for over a century and that a little creation as such created a huge and successful enterprise.
