How The Ice Cream Sundae Got Its Quirky Name
It's a versatile treat — it can take the form of a banana split, viral TikTok ice cream nachos, or even the vintage dessert cherries jubilee. Top it with fruit, chocolate, sprinkles, nuts, and/or sticky syrup ... it's an ice cream sundae. If you've ever tripped up on the spelling of this beloved confection, you aren't alone. How, exactly, did sundaes get their name? There's an obvious homophone with the word "Sunday," so what's the connection? Unfortunately, like so many quirks of the English language, the origin of the ice cream sundae has become a matter of dispute and apocrypha.
A few American cities claim to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae, and all of them posit a different story for the name. Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, claims that a pair of college students came into a soda fountain in 1892 and ordered scoops of vanilla ice with cherry syrup on a Sunday. When asked what the novelty should be called, one of the men suggested the day of the week. Two Rivers, Wisconsin, claims that, in 1881, a pharmacist made an ice cream treat to be compliant with local blue laws that prohibited selling soda on Sundays and changed the name to "sundae" to avoid offending religious leaders. Meanwhile, the town of Plainfield, Illinois credits another pharmacist, Charles Sonntag, with creating the sundae. His surname was German for "Sunday," and he allegedly named the treat after himself.
How were the first sundaes made?
Today, you can make an ice cream sundae with soft serve, fro-yo, ice cream, or gelato (and yes, there's a difference between those last two!). You can slather it in caramel, macerated strawberry, or hot fudge ... just don't forget the whipped cream and shiny maraschino cherry on top! Unsurprisingly, given the confusion over the origin of the ice cream sundae's name, there are differing accounts on what the first sundaes included. Cornell, as previously discussed, claims that cherry was the original topping, and that pineapple, strawberry, and chocolate came about later. Wisconsinites, on the other hand, claim that chocolate syrup was the drizzle on the first sundae. It's unsurprising that fruit and chocolate are bandied about as the definitive sundae toppings, as the first sundaes were meant to appeal to kids and young adults, who love their sweets.
Whether you enjoy an ice cream sundae on a Sunday, a Monday, or even a Friday, there's no denying that, regardless of its name or origin, it tastes downright yummy. Ice cream is pretty great on its own, never mind with additional goodies piled on top. Could it be that the mysterious birth of the ice cream sundae was a case of folks coming up with the same idea in different places, and claiming that the idea was stolen, when really, it was a coincidence all along? We'll never know, but we'll sure enjoy munching a sundae while thinking about the matter.