The Ice Cream Cone

The fist ice-cream cone was produced in New York in 1896 by Italo Marchiony, who had emigrated from Italy. He was granted a patent in December 1904. As with many great inventions, a similar creation was independently introduced – in 1904 by Charles Menches. He was selling ice cream – in dishes, like all ice-cream sellers at the time – at the St Louis World Fair. So many people were ordering ice-cream that he ran out of dishes. He looked around, and saw a Syrian man selling a Middle Eastern dessert called ‘Zalabia’, a wafer-like pastry sold with syrup. ‘Give me Zalabia’, cried Menches. He rolled up the Zalabia into a cone, scooped his ice-cream onto the top and the second ice-cream cone was born!

Agustina Mirabile.