Sundae; Mexican Chocolate; Blinis; Apple a Day

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

SUNDAE (continued)

     "Sundae" appeared in several confectionery magazines in the early 1900s.
     The CONFECTIONERS JOURNAL (Philadelphia, PA) is "The oldest paper of its
kind in the world, established 1874."
     The CONFECTIONERS' AND BAKERS' GAZETTE was established in 1881.
     The CONFECTIONERS' REVIEW (Cincinnati, Ohio)  is from about 1900, but
the NYPL has just a few issues starting in 1907.
     The first two are well worth going through for "fudge," "brownie," "egg
cream," "ice cream soda," "milk shake," "sundae," and others.  Each issue had
a recipes column and a column of soda fountain offerings.  The NYPL holdings
are from the 1890s and 1900s, but I might check the LOC's holdings later.  I
requested some 1918 volumes, and I'm sure that "Danish Pastry" is in at least
one of these publications.
     From the CONFECTIONERS JOURNAL, April 1907, pg. 90, col. 1:

     _The Sundae_
     There is no way in which ice cream is served that is any more popular
than what is now almost universally known as the sundae, although in
different sections is is variously called college ice, throwover, lollypop
and even frappe.
     The sundae is not a new invention.  This method of serving ice is older
than the name, and, like many other good things, had its origin in France,
where unflavored ice cream was served with a compote of fruit.
     The name "throwover" comes nearer to being descriptive than any of the
other names, for the thing itself is nothing more or less than a portion of
ice cream over which a small quantity of syrup or crushed fruit has been
thrown or poured.
     This seems very simple, as, in fact, it is; but at the same time a great
deal of taste may be displayed in the preparation of sundaes.  They may be
served in several ways.  A popular way is to use a sundae cup; a champagne
glass is also very effective.  Champagne glasses may be procured in a variety
of patterns, but a plain, thin crystal glass is best.
     Have a conical ice cream disher of a suitable size, say eight to the
quart.  Fill this rounded full; then when the cream is turned into the glass
it will stand in a perpendicular position.  Over this pour a small quantity
of the desired syrup or crushed fruit, as the case may be.  Place a small
glace spoon in the glass and serve with a paper napkin.  Serve a glass of
plain soda or ice water with every sundae.
     (Col. 2--ed.)  This makes a tempting and refreshing dish, and one that
is especially enjoyed by the ladies and young people.
     Large dispensers, who do not care to use champagne glasses, owing to the
amount of bother they cause and the loss by breakage, will find that a small
neat sauce dish answers very well.  Use the cone of cream in manner
described.  Such dishes are convenient, because a large number of them can be
kept in a small place.
     The sundae, as a method of serving ice cream, is becoming more popular
every year, and every one who serves ice cream should be in a position to
serve sundaes to those who desire them.  No great outlay is required, and as
sundaes are sold in most places at 10 cents there is a good profit in them,
and besides, they win many stanch friends.  Those who have not tried serving
sundaes will find in the proper serving of them a source of much profit and
increased patronage.
     The chief requisites necessary to the serving of a good sundae are pure,
high-grade syrups and crushed fruits and a good grade of ice cream.--_Ex._

     A large listing of "Nut and Fruit Sundaes" in the CONFECTIONERS JOURNAL,
October 1907, pg. 100, does NOT include "hot fudge sundae."
     From the CONFECTIONERS JOURNAL, May 1908, pg. 91, col. 1:

     _Sundae, Sunday or Sondi?_
     There are several spellings of the name of the confection of ice cream
with a fruit syrup poured over it.  The original way, apparently, was
_sundae_, but where it came from is hard to say.  The dictionary doesn't (pg.
91, col. 2--ed.) shed any light on the subject, because the word is not
defined there at all.  The name got to be bandied about,  and on account of
its resemblance in sound to the name of the first day in the week, it began
to be spelled _Sunday_ for the cheaper grade confectioners.  However, the
voyager about the city has discovered still another spelling, which in the
absence of constituted authority, is as right as any other.  One
confectioner, whose shop is pretentious, makes it a little bit odder by
calling it _sondi_.

     From the CONFECTIONERS JOURNAL, June 1908, pg. 66, col. 3:

     _The Origin of Sundaes_
     Carl T. Pfund, confectioner of La Crosse, Wis., wrote to us on May 6th,
giving us the origin of the now popular sundae.  In his letter Mr. Pfund says:
     "Some years ago a young man stepped into a confectionery and called for
an ice cream soda, strawberry flavor.  As the clerk was about to pour the
syrup into the glass he found there was but half an ounce left.  Being
Sunday, and alone in the store, he did not want to let his customer wait
while he prepared some, so he simply placed a little ice cream on a dish and
poured over this what syrup he had and added some strawberries on top to make
or give it enough strawberry flavor.  This dish seemed to make a hit with the
customer, and whenever he called after that he would always (pg. 67, col.
1--ed.) ask for the same kind of dish he got last Sunday, and finally calling
it his Sunday dish.  From this sprang the present endless variety of sundaes.
 This I believe will explain the origin of the popular sundae of today."

     From the CONFECTIONERS JOURNAL, "Soda Menus" (NO "hot fudge
sundae"--ed.), September 1908, pg. 83, col. 1:

     _SUNDAES_
Cherry; Chocolate; Coffee; Chipped Figs; Caramel Nuts; Club Sandwich; Coney
Island; Cantaloupe; Chop Suey (?--ed.); Marshmallow; Delmonico; Maple Nut;
Maple Fig; Peach; Pineapple; Raspberry; Sondi di Marron; Strawberry;
Knickerbocker; Orange; Sunset.

    That's from a check of the CONFECTIONERS JOURNAL of 1907 and 1908.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
MEXICAN CHOCOLATE (continued)

     Yet another citation is the CONFECTIONERS JOURNAL, December 1908, pg.
109, col. 1:

     MEXICAN CHOCOLATE
     The way they serve it in Mexico.  One egg, one and one-half ounces of
chocolate syrup, one teaspoonful of sweet cream, one-half teaspoonful of
cinnamon, one-half teaspoonful of salt.  Shake well; strain into a cup and
add one cupful of hot water.  Top with whipped cream and serve with wafers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
BLINIS

_blintz._ (...)  The word is from the Yiddish _blintseh_, via the Russian
_blinyets_, and first appeared in English print in 1903.
John Mariani, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN FOOD & DRINK (1999).

     "Blinis of Caviar, Skobeleff" is on pg. 4 of the extensive menu of the
St. Nicholas Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio, Season 1892-93, in the NY Historical
Society menu collection.
     "Blinis a la Czarina" is in the CONFECTIONERS JOURNAL, August 1907, pg.
85, col. 2.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
AN APPLE A DAY

_An apple a day keeps the doctor away._  Eating fruit regularly keeps one
healthy.  First found as a Welsh folk proverb (1866): "Eat an apple on going
to bed, And you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread."  First attested
in the United States in 1913.  The proverb is found in varying forms.
--Gregory Titelman, RANDOM HOUSE DICTIONARY OF POPULAR PROVERBS AND SAYINGS
(1996).

     From the CONFECTIONERS JOURNAL, October 1907, pg. 83, col. 1:

     People who do not take much exercise should eat at least one or two
apples every day, for, as an old proverb says, "Eating an apple every morning
means saving a doctor's bill."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD (1939)

     The index cards of Barry Buchanan's unpublished ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE
ENTERTAINMENT WORLD (1939) have been copied by Carnegie Mellon.  It can be
borrowed from me.
     I'm taking the first caller at Bapopik at aol.com...