Have a Cornet

Word of the Week

Cornet (core-net): Something shaped like a cone. In England, the locals refer to ice cream cones as cornets! It comes from the Latin word cornu, meaning the "horn of an animal."

Salve!

Known as a poke in Ireland, a cornet in England, and a cone in the USA, nothing screams summer like ice cream. . .in a cone! Did you know that an average ice cream cone can be eaten with 50 licks? That's what I've read, anyway. I plan to test this theory out soon. . .just to make sure. So, why all the ice cream talk? Sunday, July 17th is Ice Cream Day!

I learned that there are actually three types of ice cream cones around today.

• Cake Cone: This cone is molded and has a flat bottom.

• Waffle Cone: This poke has an imprint and a rough or unfinished top edge.

• Sugar Cone: This cornet has the same ingredients as a waffle cone, but the top edge is smooth and sometimes coated with chocolate.

Just where did the cone part of an ice cream cone come from? The very first cone was made by Italo Marchiony who immigrated to America in the late 1800s and showcased his cone in New York City. In 1903, he was granted a patent for his invention, which he called a "pastry comet."

Here's where the story gets sticky. . .

A very similar idea was introduced in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair. Ernest Hamwi had a stand where he was trying to sell "zalabis," a crisp waffle-like pastry. In the next booth, an ice cream vendor was so busy that he ran out of dishes. Hamwi saw an opportunity and took it! He rolled one of his zalabis into a cone shape, handed it to the ice cream vendor, and voila. . .the ice cream cone.

It doesn't matter which story you choose to believe, I'm just happy they were invented for us to enjoy!

To celebrate Ice Cream Day, I thought it'd be fun to make some ice cream you can play with! Read on to learn how to make your very own Ice Cream Playdough. . .that won't melt.

What You'll Need/How it's Done

1 container of vanilla frosting, 3 cups of powdered sugar, and some liquid food coloring

Simply mix all three ingredients together! I chose to divide mine up to create three different "flavors" (colors).

One last cool fact for you. When a factory has damaged or crushed cones that cannot be sold, they still put them to good use! These cones are ground up and sold to farmers for animal food!

Stay cool. . .

Gram