Of all the classic American foods said to have been invented at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair only one is actually associated with it: the ice cream cone.
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 fuadsyazwan | 2008-06-02 19:23:08 |  74,310 Views |
The origin of the ice cream cone
Serious Mealtimes / Vicky Wasik
If you hear someone claim that a certain food product was invented at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair you can be almost certain that they’re wrong. That particular event officially called the Louisiana Purchase Exposition has become a uniquely powerful magnet for false food origin stories a phenomenon I covered extensively in 2016 . The hamburger the hot dog peanut butter iced tea the club sandwich cotton candy: They’re all said to have been invented or at least popularized at the St. Louis Fairgrounds in 1904. None of them actually were.
There is however one classic American food whose origins are truly tied to the 1904 Fair: the ice cream cone. But it probably wasn’t invented in a fit of inspiration on the fairgrounds despite the many dramatic stories of wisecracking ice cream vendors running out of cups and rolling waffles into makeshift cones. Instead this is a tale of old-fashioned hustle and bustle the ambition of newly arrived immigrants seeking their fortunes… and of course a lot of lawyers. How much more American can a food story get?
