Egg cream

Last updated
Egg cream
Egg cream.JPG
TypeFountain beverage
Country of origin  United States
FlavorVarious; primarily chocolate, but can be any flavored syrup
Ingredients Flavored syrup, milk, soda water

An egg cream [1] is a cold beverage consisting of milk, carbonated water, and flavored syrup (typically chocolate or vanilla), as a substitute for an ice cream float. [2] Ideally, the glass is left with 23 liquid and 13 foamy head. [3] Despite the name, the drink contains neither eggs nor cream. [4]

Contents

The egg cream is almost exclusively a fountain drink. Although there have been several attempts to bottle it, none have been wholly successful, as its refreshing taste and characteristic head require mixing of the ingredients just before drinking.

Etymology theories and speculations

The ingredients of an egg cream: Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup, seltzer, and whole milk Eggcreamparts.JPG
The ingredients of an egg cream: Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup, seltzer, and whole milk

The peculiarity that an egg cream contains neither eggs nor cream has been explained in various ways. Stanley Auster, who claims that his grandfather invented the beverage, has said that the origins of the name are "lost in time." [6]

The egg cream originated among Yiddish-speaking Eastern European Jewish immigrants in New York City, so one explanation claims that egg is a corruption of the Yiddish echt 'genuine or real', making an egg cream a "good cream". [7]

Food historian Andrew Smith writes: "During the 1880s, a popular specialty was made with chocolate syrup, cream, and raw eggs mixed into soda water. In poorer neighborhoods, a less expensive version of this treat was created, called the Egg Cream (made without the eggs or cream)." [8]

Another explanation comes from reports that it grew out of a request for chocolat et crème from someone, possibly the actor Boris Thomashefsky [9] who had experienced a similar drink in Paris. [10] [11] His heavy accent altered the name into something like "egg cream," which then developed into the current term.

In Media

The egg cream features prominently in the creature feature horror film Squirm. When New Yorker Mick (Don Scardino) visits his girlfriend Geri (Patricia Pearcy) in the fictional town of Fly Creek, Georgia, he orders an egg cream at a diner, which confuses the Southern owner, who has never heard of them. Mick finds a worm in the drink, which causes a row with the sheriff sitting nearby, and foreshadows the worm invasion of the town.

In The Midterms, a season 2 episode of The West Wing, President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen), drinks an Egg Cream in the oval office. In describing the drink to Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), he says "I'm drinking the most fantastic thing I've ever tasted in my life. Chocolate syrup, cold milk, and seltzer. I know it sounds terrible, but trust me– I don't know where this has been all my life." Toby tells him it's an egg cream, and that "We invented it in Brooklyn," referring to his Jewish heritage.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Fox's U-bet chocolate syrup is a commercial chocolate syrup originally made by H. Fox & Company in Brooklyn, New York starting around 1900. It was said to be invented in a basement in Brownsville, Brooklyn, according to David Fox. Herman Fox, his grandfather, left town for the Texas oil boom and returned only with the phrase, "you bet." U-bet syrup is best known as being a key component in the fountain beverage, the egg cream. While the specific order in preparation is subject to much debate within New York City the components of the classic egg cream recipe consist of U-Bet syrup, milk and seltzer. The beverage has since become an iconic staple in New York's Jewish delis since its invention in the 1880s. H. Fox & Company was acquired by US Westminster Foods in 2016, and is currently manufactured in Farmingdale, New York.

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References

  1. "The New York Egg Cream". ArcGIS StoryMaps. 19 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  2. Stuart, Marcia. "The New York Egg Cream". EGO. Epicurus.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  3. Stern, Michael; Stern, Jane (Jul 10, 1985). "Egg Cream is a delicacy at candy store in Bronx". The Evening Independent. p. 3B. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  4. Arenstein, Noah (2014-11-19). "12 things you didn't know about NYC egg creams". Thrillist . Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  5. Mead, Rebecca (8 August 2011). "Proustian". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  6. Mariani, John F. (1999). Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink. Lebhar-Friedman:New York.
  7. Ringler, Rachel (16 June 2021). "What is an egg cream and why is it so Jewish?". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  8. Smith, Andrew F. (2014). New York City: A Food Biography. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 111.
  9. Gould, Jillian (2002). "Candy Stores and Egg Creams". Jews of Brooklyn. UPNE. p. 203.
  10. Stradley, Linda (17 April 2015). "New York Egg Cream Recipe and History". What's Cooking America. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  11. Lee, Jennifer (5 August 2008). "Can the Egg Cream Make a Comeback?". City Room. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.