Nearly 60% Of Americans Agree On Their Favorite Summertime Dessert
Ever heard of the summertime sweet tooth? It's a real thing. Researchers studying a 2019 Mexican heatwave found that hot days make people crave sugar more (per The Conversation). It looks like there's a scientific reason behind your desire for a sweet treat when the dog days roll around.
You might be feeling stumped about which dessert to bring to the picnic this weekend. Although, picnics aren't just for the summer months. According to the authority at National Picnic Week, the Fourth of July is the most popular picnic day in the U.S. (it's Easter Monday in Italy and Bastille Day in France). Plus, wintertime can be a great friend to the living-room-floor picnic: As acclaimed author Alice Walker once observed, "Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors."
But summertime is truly the season of the sweet. Whether you're heading to the park or simply driving home from a baseball game, there's a good chance you'll find yourself craving a treat on a hot afternoon. Tasting Table asked 615 sweet tooth-ers about their favorite treats to find out, once and for all, which is the best summer dessert. (See if your favorite made the list.)
We're all still screaming for ice cream
This summer, it looks like not too many folks are reaching for the sweet-sour combo: With 5.37% of the vote, lemon bars came in lowest on the list. (Still, who can resist a gooey treat with a tangy bite?) Next up, 6.67% of voters said they're hungry for fruit cobbler — one of the more versatile dessert options for showcasing seasonal produce. Fans can whip up a strawberry cobbler or a multi-fruit blackberry peach cobbler to sample the best natural offerings summertime has to offer. While lemon bars might not have ranked very high on the list, it's shaping up to be a big year for limes: With 13.17% of the vote, make way for key lime pie. Strawberry shortcake was close ahead, raking in 15.28% of votes.
But, even though these fruit-based desserts turned a few heads (and taste buds), one chilly treat still reigned supreme amongst voters. With a whopping 59.51% of the votes, ice cream is the undisputed summertime sweet champion. While seasonal fruit is high on our list, when it comes to ice cream, everything else is second place. (Literally.)