June 27th is National Ice Cream Cake Day. We’ve invited everyone over to taste some of the ice cream cakes featured here.

You may notice that these are square or rectangular cakes, because it’s so much easier to slice and serve square pieces rather than conventional wedge slices.

So take a look and consider making one this weekend. You’ll have no shortage of “takers.”

> The history of the ice cream cake is below.

> Also below: more ice cream cake recipes.

> A brief history of cake.

> The different types of cake: a photo glossary.

> The history of ice cream.

> The different types of frozen desserts: a photo glossary.

> A year of ice cream holidays.

> August 18th is National Ice Cream Pie Day.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF THE ICE CREAM CAKE

Ice cream cake doesn’t have a single inventor, was the result of convergent evolution” when referring to ideas, innovations, or solutions that arise independently in different places or times.

The concept of combining two popular desserts, ice cream and cake, has been around for centuries.

The precursor to today’s ice cream cake was the bombe glacée (frozen bomb, photo #4), a molded dessert popular in 18th- and 19th-century Europe, especially in France and England.

Ice cream and/or sorbet, along with cake (typically sponge cake or ladyfingers), custard, and/or fruit, was layered in decorative molds, often with a meringue, dessert sauce, or other coating on the outside.

Sometimes the meringue was flambéed, like Baked Alaska (photo #5).

The bombe glacée was named for its resemblance to the shape of a cannonball, and referred to the round or dome-shaped mold in which the dessert was frozen.

Victorians loved elaborate desserts, and the molded ice cream cake began to take shape. Since it took a lot of labor to hand-churn ice cream, they were special-occasion desserts, served at banquets and balls.
 
The modern ice cream cake, with distinct layers of ice cream and cake, became popular in the mid-20th century.

Tom Carvel, inventor of soft-serve ice cream, developed a frozen cake made with ice cream, fudge, and cookie crunch in the 1950s (the history of Carvel).

Ice cream cakes became readily available in the 1940s and 1950s, as his and other chains like Baskin-Robbins (1970s) and Dairy Queen (around 1981), expanded.

Carvel popularized ice cream cakes across America, especially for birthdays and holidays, and his later, character-shaped cakes (like Fudgie The Whale, Cookie Puss, Hug Me the Bear, Santa, Easter Bunny), were widely advertised.

[7] Fudgie The Whale.

Fudgie (photo #7), invented in 1977 as a Father’s Day promotion “to a whale of a Dad,” went viral and became part of pop culture.

The cake appeared on David Letterman, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show; in the comedy sketches of Patton Oswalt, Kevin Smith and Billy Crystal; and appeared at Mets and Yankees games (source).

He even made the cover of People magazine (photo #6).
 
 
MORE ICE CREAM CAKE RECIPES

 
 
Plus Recipes From Taste Of Home

 
 

[8] Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Cake. Here’s the recipe.
 

[1] Oreo Ice Cream Cake is a fan favorite—not surprisingly because the #1 cookie brand is Oreo! Here’s the recipe (photos #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #8 © Taste Of Home).

[2] |We’re always in the mood for Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake. Here’s the recipe.

[3] Angel Food Ice Cream Cake. The bottom layer is ice cream, the top layer is cake. Here’s the recipe.

[4] A bombe glacée, so called because its round shape resembled a cannonball.

[5] Baked Alaska. It differs from the bombe glacée with its baked meringue topping and bottom layer of cake. Here’s the history of Baked Alaska plus recipes.

[6] Fudgie The Whale makes the cover of People (photos #6 and #7 © Carvel).

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Today is National Catfish Day which got us to thinking: What are the most popular fish in the U.S.

According to the latest data from the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and the NOAA Fisheries (based on per capita consumption in the U.S.), here are the Top 10 most popular seafood species consumed in the U.S.
 
 
AMERICA’S MOST POPULAR SEAFOOD

 
 
Notes

 
 
> The different types of fish and seafood: a photo glossary.

> The year’s 56 fish and seafood holidays.

> The history of imitation crab leg, a component of many California rolls, is below.
 
 

Chart by A.I.
 
 

[5] You may have eaten pollock without knowing it. It’s often used in California rolls and crab salad from salad bars and buffets. It’s called by different names: crab sticks, imitation crab, kamaboko, sea leg, and surimi although surimi refers to the ingredient from which the final product is made (photo © Wild Fork Foods).
 
 
> If you’ve gotten this far and want a jazzy fish song, our mother used to sing this song to us until we were old enough to sing it with her.

[1] Shrimp takes the gold as America’s favorite seafood. In fact, we’d like some of this coconut fried shrimp right now (photo © Dons Bogam | NYC).

[2] It’s salmon for the silver. Here’s the recipe for this baked salmon with balsamic brown butter (photo © DeLallo).

[3] Tuna take the bronz (photo © ).

[4] The runner-up is pollack, which is also used to make surimi, the imitation crab sticks (photo ©5).

 
Kamaboko was invented in Japan by an artisan whose name is lost to history, around 1115 C.E. during the Heian period (794 C.E. to 1185 C.E.). It is described as a fish paste molded around a stick and grilled, a form now known as chikuwa.

The name kamaboko may have originally referred to the shape of those early fish cakes, which resembed the flowering head of a cattail plant on its stalk (i.e., the wooden stick).

By the Muromachi period (1336–1573), kamaboko had evolved into the familiar loaf-shaped form seen today. It was often steamed and served in slices. It became a luxury item used for feasts and celebrations, especially in New Year dishes.

For centuries, the Japanese have been eagerly turning fish into kamaboko, so fisherman could preserve their excess catches.

Over time, regional varieties developed, including red kamaboko (aka-kamaboko), white kamaboko (shiro-kamaboko), and decorative kamaboko with motifs, writing, or shapes like flowers. Innovations evolved over centuries into different shapes and flavors, and kamaboko is now common in everyday cuisine.

Slices are used to garnish noodles and soups; on appetizer trays and party platters (red and white kamaboko symbolize celebration and good luck) and in bento boxes; in stir-frys and tempura; and as snacks including nibbles with beer and saké.

Kamaboko is a lean, convenient protein, but often contains moderate to high sodium. Like deli meats or canned tuna, it’s best enjoyed in moderation.

Hundreds of different kamaboko products are consumed in Japan. See the chart below.

Each year, the average Japanese person eats 15 pounds of surimi-based products—an amount equal to all the seafood consumed annually by the average American.

Vacuum-sealed, it can stay in the fridge for 2-3 weeks (3–6 months in the freezer). If the package is opened, it should be consumed within 2-3 days.
 
 

Chart generated by A.I.
 
 

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[1] Under the sauerkraut are bacon-cheese brats (photos #1 and #3 © KC Cattle Company).

[2] Not your typical brat filling. In addition to bacon and cheddar, the beef is Wagyu (photo by A.I.).

[3] The company’s Wagyu hot dogs were voted “best in the world” by Bon Appetit magazine††.

[4] The new brats were inspired by the popularity of the bacon cheeseburger (photo © Dave Spataro | Aussie Grill).

[5] In the U.S., many people cook their brats in beer, a custom that did not originate in Germany. as well as having a glass along side them.

[6] Food fun: brat-on-a-stick (photo by A.I.).

[7] It might look like “brat paella” at first glance, but it’s brats and boiled potatoes on a variation of German potato salad, with bacon, onions, and a creamy vinegar-based dressing (photo by Mister Pitt | Pixabay).

[8] Caramelized onions are delicious on brats. You can even combine them with chopped raw onions (photos #8 and #9 © Kelsey Todd | Unsplash).

[9] Saurkraut is a popular topping for brats, along with mustard. But check out all the other faves in the footnote‡ below.

[10] A build-a-brat bar from Felton Angus Beef. Here’s how they do it (photo © Felton Angus Beef).

[11] An even more splendid DIY bar from Shared Appetite. Here’s how (photo © Shared Appetite).

[12] Artisan sausage and salami are often still sold on the string. The white coating on artisan salami is beneficial mold, Penicillium nalgiovense or Penicillium candidum, that is intentionally applied during the curing process. It forms a protective barrier that prevents harmful bacteria from penetrating the salami, regulates moisture loss, and contributes to the complex, earthy flavor and textures that distinguish artisan products. It is completely safe to eat and has a slightly earthy, mushroom-like taste (photo of Master Artisan Cristian Creminelli © Creminelli Fine Meats).

Few will argue that a bacon cheeseburger (photo #4) ranks #2 on the list of America’s favorite cheeseburgers, unless you dispute that it should, in fact, be #1. (The plain cheeseburger is #1, the rest of the list is in the footnote* below.)

That juicy beef burger is topped with cheese and crispy bacon. But what if the cheese and bacon were tucked inside…bratwurst? And the brat was made with wagyu beef?

What if there were a hot dog made the same way? There is—or more precisely, it’s bratwurst (photo #1).

That’s what’s on offer from KC Cattle Company, a small veteran-owned-and-staffed ranch specializing in ultra-premium American Wagyu beef.

Their classic Wagyu hot dogs were voted the best in the world by the editors of Food & Wine Magazine††, so the brats arrive on the scene with plenty of street cred!

KC Cattle’s Brats are made with beautifully marbled 100% American Wagyu beef (no hormones or antibiotics) and stuffed with Cheddar and smoky bacon for a wondrous alternative to the cheeseburger.

Backyard grilling meets gourmet indulgence, delivering bold, juicy flavor. They come in a one-pound four pack for $18.99 and ship all over the U.S.

> Get your Wagyu Bacon Cheddar Bratwurst here.

> The differences between bratwurst and hot dogs follow.

> The history of bratwurst is below.

> So are great bratwurst-condiment pairings.

> And the year’s 16 sausage holidays!

> Food 101: The difference between rolls and buns. (Brats, burgers, hot dogs, and all sandwiches go on rolls, not buns.)
 
 
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BRATWURST & HOT DOGS (FRANKFURTERS)

Bratwurst

Both bratwurst and frankfurters are types of German sausage‡‡. The original frankfurter is far removed from modern hog dogs, as you’ll see below. (It’s what happens when big American food companies remake a product for more profit.)

Bratwurst is essentially fresh sausage, made from coarsely-ground pork (sometimes mixed with beef or veal). They must be cooked before consuming. There is minimal processing and fewer additives than you’ll find in a hot dog. If you like texture, they offer much more than the “puréed” filling in hot dogs.

Brats are thicker and longer than hot dogs—a more substantial meal or snack. They have a richer, more complex “meaty” flavor with more prominent seasonings (garlic, ginger, marjoram, nutmeg).

Finally, bratwurst must be properly cooked through. They are often grilled or pan-fried, although a popular American tradition is to simmer them in beer first, often with onions.

Hot Dogs

Hot dogs are typically made from a mixture of meats (typically beef, pork, chicken, and turkey) that are finely ground into a smooth paste and mixed with fillers, preservatives, and various additives. They have a mild, processed taste.

Since they’re precooked, so they just need reheating (or can be eaten as is from the fridge—especially if you’re a fraternity guy).

Hot dogs can be boiled, grilled, or microwaved.
 
 
HOW DID THE GERMAN FRANKFURTER EVOLVE INTO THE PROCESSED FRANK?

While predecessors of the frankfurter originated in Frankfurt in the 13th century as “frankfurter würstchen,” traditionally made with pork and spices, one origin story credits a butcher from the German city of Coburg, in Bavaria, Johann Georghehner, with the modern version.

He crafted a thinner sausage, the slender “dachshund,” or “little dog” sausage, in the late 1600s, and later brought it to Frankfurt to promote it.

It was a classic sausage eaten with a knife and fork, no bun. That was an American addition (the history of the hot dog).

It’s recorded that from the 1860s-1880s, on New York City’s Bowery, German immigrants sold traditional frankfurter sausages from pushcarts.

In 1871, Charles Feltman, a baker who immigrated from Germany, launched the first Coney Island hot dog stand. He sold 3,684 “dachshund sausages” in a milk roll during his first year: an easy grab-and-go food for visitors there for recreation.

The transformation from the authentic German frankfurter to highly-processed American hot dog happened gradually over several decades, with the most dramatic shift occurring in the early 1900s.

Late 1800s-Early 1900s: The major shift in hot dog quality began with industrial meat processing and the rise of giant meat processing companies such as Chicago*-based Armour and Swift.

Sausages became cheap industrial products. Hot dogs, in particular, were made of the unused parts that were left over, including non-desirable parts like the intestines. Big factories processed millions of animals a year.

The nickel hot dog became omnipresent street food in Chicago. Cheap and filling, yet always suspect of being made of “mystery meat” (long before the advent of food labeling‡‡‡), hot dogs became notorious in the rumor mill for their questionable ingredients.

The hot dog had evolved from a raw sausage to processed meat product made by mixing chopped meat with various curing ingredients, flavorings, and colorants. The slurry or meat emulsion, as the result was called, was then stuffed into a long casing, typical a cleaned animal intestine, and cooked.

By the early 1900s, the German Frankfurter had been industrialized out of existence. The economic pressures of mass production, the need for shelf stability (they last much longer in the fridge, due to the precooking), and the desire for cheap food transformed it into the heavily processed junk† food we know today.

It’s a classic example of how American industrial food production prioritized cost, convenience, and preservation over traditional quality and ingredients.

Conclusion: If you’re a lover of hot dogs yet prefer less adulterated foods, choose organic dogs, switch to brats, and and even then eat them only occasionally.

Sausages were sold on strings until the 1950s.

Sausages, including the first wave of American frankfurters/hot dogs, were traditionally sold on strings before the advent of modern plastic film packaging. Some artisan producers still use this technique (photo #12).

In traditional European butcher shops, and subsequently in early American butcher shops, sausages were linked together in long chains and hung on strings or hooks. This served several practical purposes:

 
1920s-1940s: Hot dogs were still commonly sold loose from butcher cases or in simple paper wrapping

1950s: The rise of supermarkets and self-service shopping created demand for prepackaged foods. While cellophane had created in the early 1900s, plastic packaging technology and vacuum sealing advanced significantly in the 1950s-1960s, and became the standard packaging.
 
And now, the answer to the $64,000 question:

Why are hot dogs typically sold in packages of 10, while rolls come in packs of 8?

 
But there is a way to even things out: Buy 4 packs of hot dogs and 5 packs of buns to get an even 40 of each. What you don’t need immediately, you can freeze.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF BRATWURST

While documentation of sausages—ground meat and spices in casings—can be found as early as 228 C.E. in Roman cuisine, the first documented evidence of bratwurst dates to 1313 in the Franconian city of Nuremberg, Germany (that’s a tradition of more than 700 years).

However, different regions developed their own versions. Bratwurst in the city of Coburg in Franconia was first documented in 1498.

The original recipes were quite specific. For example, the Coburg bratwurst was made from coarse-ground meat: pork with a minimum of 15% beef, seasoned with only salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon zest, and bound with raw egg. It was 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) long.

Editor’s Note: At that time, “Germany” did not exist. The Holy Roman Empire comprised the entirety of the modern countries of Germany, Czechia, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Luxembourg, most of north-central Italy, and large parts of modern-day east France and west Poland. The modern nation of Germany came into being in 1871, when Otto von Bismarck unified the various German states into the German Empire.

The name “bratwurst” can be traced back to the Old High German words “brat,” meaning without waste, and “wurst,” which means sausage.

And that’s exactly what bratwursts and all sausages are: sausages made using scraps of beef, pork, and veal that would otherwise go to waste (or at least, fed to the animals).

Editor’s Note: Bratwurst is just one style of German sausage. Estimates range from 1,200 to 1,500 distinct types, differing in ingredients, textures, spices, and cooking methods. See the footnote‡‡ for the major categories.

Different regions developed their own styles. Each area prized its own flavoring, meat blend, and preparation method. For example:

 
By 1432, German cities had developed strict guidelines as to the creation of quality bratwursts. Fines were levied against butchers who did not comply.

Bratwurst became German street food, beer garden fare, and festival cuisine, as well as home fare. It remains symbolic of German heritage and comfort food, and became a “food ambassador” across Europe and North America.

Brats In America

German immigrants brought bratwurst recipes to the U.S. in the 19th century. In the midwest, they became a beloved part of cookouts and sporting events.

Traditional German bratwurst preparation focuses on grilling over charcoal or wood, or pan-frying. This was seen as sufficient to bring out the bratwurst’s flavor—with a beer to drink with it.

The American brat tradition includes beer brats—bratwurst simmered in beer before grilling. The custom emerged in Wisconsin and other areas with large German immigrant populations.

Beer brats became a way for German Americans to combine the two beloved foods while adding moisture, flavor, and a bit of fun.

Often, the bratwurst are simmered in beer with onions before or after grilling (sometimes both), enhancing juiciness and depth of flavor.

Festivals like the Bratwurst Festival in Bucyrus, Ohio and Sheboygan Brat Days in Wisconsin continue to celebrate the sausage’s cultural importance.
 
 
THE YEAR’S 16 SAUSAGE HOLIDAYS

 
 
________________

*Cheeseburger rankings based on A.I. search: (1) Classic Cheeseburger, (2) Bacon Cheeseburger, (3) BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger, (4) Double Cheeseburger, (5) Mushroom Swiss Burger, (6) BBQ Cheeseburger (7) Jalapeño Cheeseburger, (8) Blue Cheese Burger, (9) Patty Melt (technically a burger-sandwich hybrid), and (10) Avocado Cheeseburger.

The rankings can vary by region, restaurant type (fast food vs. casual dining), and demographic preferences, but the top 3-4 spots are pretty consistent across most surveys and industry reports.

**“Hog Butcher for the World” is the famous opening line from Carl Sandburg’s poem Chicago, describing the city’s role as the center of America’s meatpacking industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Union Stock Yards, a one-square-mile area on the South Side, was the heart of the industry, processing vast quantities of livestock. The gate is all that remains today.

“…and as for the other men, who worked in tank rooms full of steam, and in some of which there were open vats near the level of the floor, their peculiar trouble was that they fell into the vats; and when they were fished out, there was never enough of them left to be worth exhibiting—sometimes they would be overlooked for days, till all but the bones of them had gone out to the world as Durham’s Pure Leaf Lard!”
 
†Hot dogs are widely considered junk food by nutrition experts and health organizations. They fall into the “highly processed foods” category, “typically low in nutritional content…high in calories, fat, and sodium, and contain very little vitamins and minerals.”

None of these is heart-healthy, and The World Cancer Research Fund advises that we “eat little, if any, processed meat due to the associated risk of colorectal cancer.”

Hot dogs contain fillers, preservatives, nitrates, and often mystery meat scraps (one article we read included animal lips).

There are “better” options, minimally processed versions that are closer to actual sausage. But even the “better” ones are still processed meat and should be occasional treats rather than regular meals.

††KC Cattle Company’s Wagyu Hot Dogs were voted the “The World’s Best Hot Dog” by Food&Wine.com in 2020, right before the pandemic, in an article titled “We Found a Hotdog that Tastes like Steak.” “This hot dog blew us away. The umami! The spice! The beefiness! It was basically like eating a steak in a bun, or an elevated ‘tube steak,’ if you will.”
 
‡Bratwurst condiments for your consideration:

> Cheese: melted beer cheese or shredded Cheddar, smoked Gouda, Swiss.

> Mustard: Dijon, spicy brown, whole grain, yellow.

> Onions: caramelized, grilled, pickled red, raw chopped.

> Peppers: banana pepper rings, grilled bell, jalapeno (raw or pickled), roasted hot peppers.

> Pickles & slaws: coleslaw, cucumber salad, giardiniera, pickle relish, pickle slices, red cabbage slaw, sliced olives.

> Sauces: aïoli (garlic mayonnaise), barbecue sauce, beer cheese sauce, horseradish cream, pesto, salsa or hot sauce.

> Sweet: apple chutney or other fruit chutney, fruit salsa (mango, peach, pineapple), pickled fruit (apples, pears, stone fruits).

> More: bacon crumbles plus special rolls (brioche, ciabatta, demi-baguette, “everything” seasoning rolls, flatbread wraps or pita pockets, potato rolls, pretzel rolls, sourdough rolls).

‡‡There are major categories of German sausage, as well as regional specialties. Why are there so many types? They evolved with local ingredients (pork, veal, beef, game, regional herbs), different preservation needs (e.g., smoked for storage, fresh for markets), historical trade routes introducing new spices, and centuries-old guild rules.

Germany has hundreds of officially recognized sausage varieties, and counting all local and artisanal types brings that number well above 1,200. The basic categories:

> Rohwurst (raw sausage): Cured, often smoked or air-dried; eaten without cooking. Examples: Mettwurst, Salami Teewurst.

> Brühwurst (scalded/parboiled sausage): Made from cooked meat, often smoked. Needs to be cooked before eating. Examples: Bockwurst, Bratwurst (many regional types), Knackwurst, Weisswurst (Bavarian white sausage).

> Kochwurst (cooked sausage): Made from pre-cooked ingredients, often spreadable or sliced cold. Examples: Blutwurst (blood sausage), Leberwurst (liver sausage), Sülze (head cheese).
 
‡‡‡Today’s Nutrition Facts label first appeared in May 1994, but before then the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act required labels for processed and packaged food to contain the name of the food, its net weight, and the name and address of the manufacturer or distributor. A list of ingredients was required only on certain products.

‡‡‡‡National Corn Dog Day takes place on the first Saturday of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship.
 

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