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Food History

Old-School Ice Cream Truck Treats We Totally Forgot About By Felicia Lee Oct. 6, 2025 12:19 pm EST

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Buying ice cream on the street used to be a risky proposition. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, your scoop of ice cream would come in a reusable glass bowl, called a penny lick, which you'd have to finish quickly so it would be available for the next customer. This was just as unsanitary as it sounds. Everything changed, however, with the invention of edible cups and cones as well as portable ice cream treats. Ohio resident Christian Kent Nelson devised the idea of ice cream bars covered in a hard chocolate coating, and another Ohioan, Harry Burt, pioneered the idea of ice cream on a stick along with the idea of selling ice crea

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