How The Classic Ice Cream Sundae Got Its Odd Spelling

Things get pretty heated when it comes to determining who invented an iconic favorite food. There is endless debate about why hot dogs are called hot dogs, much like how the identity of who invented Cookies & Cream ice cream is mired in myth. So, it doesn't come as a surprise that there are several theories as to who coined the word "sundae" for the soda-fountain treat of ice cream, topped with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry. 

The sundae's convoluted history has its roots in the 19th century with the spontaneous invention of the ice cream soda in 1874 by Robert M. Green, who substituted ice cream for sweet cream in a soda-fountain drink. Other vendors began serving the wildly popular concoction of ice cream, soda water, and flavored syrup up until the Blue Laws in some states banned the consumption of soda water on Sundays due to its perceived sinfulness, which brings us to the first theory of how the sundae got its name.

In Twin Rivers, Wisconsin (sometime in 1881), George Hallauer stopped by Ed Berners' Ice Cream Parlour and asked pharmacist Berner to make him an ice cream soda. Since it was a Sunday, Berner couldn't use soda water, so he scooped vanilla ice cream into a dish, poured chocolate syrup on top, and sold it for a nickel. When more customers began asking for a "Sunday" on other days of the week, Berner's creation came to be known as a "sundae."

A possibly stronger contender in the sundae origin story comes from Ithaca, New York. Evidence points to the exact day (Sunday, April 3, 1892) when Reverend John M. Scott dropped by his regular post-services hangout, Platt & Colt Pharmacy, owned by Chester C. Platt. While chatting with the reverend, Platt told his soda-fountain clerk to scoop up two bowls of vanilla ice cream for them and make it special by pouring on some cherry syrup and topping with a candied cherry. After some discussion, Reverend Scott and Platt called their creation a "Cherry Sunday," which was soon advertised in the local newspaper. The name was eventually changed to "sundae" to avoid offending religious conservatives. In 1894, Platt attempted to trademark the name, but due to intellectual property restrictions at the time, it never came to pass. 

Other theories – like how an Illinois pharmacist called Charles Sonntag named the treat after himself – are also debated, but they aren't nearly as persuasive as those claimed by Twin Rivers and Ithaca. In fact, Twin Rivers seems to be more aggressive in its position, erecting a historical marker in 1973 to commemorate the town as the birthplace of the ice cream sundae. In 2006, its city council even launched all-out war by demanding that Ithaca cease and desist its claim of being the birthplace, otherwise the City of Two Rivers would seek action to set the historical record straight. Insults and dirty tricks were exchanged between the two cities, but neither has yet to back down in the ultimate sundae debate.