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{{Short description|Cold beverage}}
{{Refimprove|date=August 2010}}
{{Infobox beverage
[[Image:Eggcream.jpg|thumb|300px|A New York egg cream.]]
| name = Egg cream
An '''egg cream''' is a [[beverage]] consisting of [[chocolate syrup]], [[milk]], and [[soda water]], probably dating from the late 19th century, and is especially associated with [[Brooklyn]], home of its alleged inventor, candy store owner Louis Auster. It contains neither [[Egg (food)|eggs]], [[cream]], nor [[ice cream]].
| image = Egg cream.JPG
| type = Fountain beverage
| origin = [[United States]]
| color =
| flavor = Various; primarily [[chocolate]], but can be any flavored syrup
| ingredients = [[Flavored syrup]], [[milk]], [[soda water]]
| variants =
| related =
| website =
}}


An '''egg cream'''<ref name="arcgis Egg Cream">{{cite web |date=19 December 2019 |title=The New York Egg Cream |website=ArcGIS StoryMaps |url=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/305dec8b7c5c4ac38bce5dfd10712743 |access-date=12 March 2022 |archive-date=27 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127112448/https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/305dec8b7c5c4ac38bce5dfd10712743 |url-status=live }}</ref> is a cold [[beverage]] consisting of [[milk]], [[carbonated water]], and [[flavored syrup]] (typically [[chocolate syrup|chocolate]] or [[vanilla syrup|vanilla]]), as a substitute for an [[ice cream float]].<ref name="epicurus-1824">{{cite web |last=Stuart |first=Marcia |title=The New York Egg Cream |website=EGO |publisher=Epicurus.com |url=https://www.epicurus.com/blog/the-new-york-egg-cream/1824/ |access-date=12 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331195502/https://www.epicurus.com/blog/the-new-york-egg-cream/1824/ |archive-date=31 March 2015}}</ref> Ideally, the glass is left with {{Frac|2|3}} liquid and {{Frac|1|3}} foamy [[Beer head|head]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stern |first1=Michael |last2=Stern |first2=Jane |date=Jul 10, 1985 |title=Egg Cream is a delicacy at candy store in Bronx |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19850710&id=7m5IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ilkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7034,2249395&hl=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418082907/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19850710&id=7m5IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ilkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7034,2249395&hl=en |archive-date=18 April 2016 |access-date=29 March 2015 |work=The Evening Independent |page=3B}}</ref> Despite the name, the drink contains neither eggs nor cream.<ref name="thrillist-egg-creams">{{cite web |last=Arenstein |first=Noah |date=2014-11-19 |title=12 things you didn't know about NYC egg creams |url=https://www.thrillist.com/drink/new-york/things-you-didn-t-know-about-egg-creams-nyc |website=[[Thrillist]] |access-date=12 March 2022 |archive-date=2022-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517224152/https://www.thrillist.com/drink/new-york/things-you-didn-t-know-about-egg-creams-nyc |url-status=live }}</ref>
The egg cream is almost exclusively a [[Soda fountain|fountain]] drink. Although there have been several attempts to bottle it, none has been wholly successful, as its fresh taste and characteristic [[Beer head|head]] require mixing of the ingredients just before drinking.


The egg cream is almost exclusively a [[Soda fountain|fountain]] drink. Although there have been several attempts to bottle it, none have been wholly successful, as its refreshing taste and characteristic [[Beer head|head]] require mixing of the ingredients just before drinking.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
==Origins==
{{Original research|date=August 2010}}
The origin of the name "egg cream" is constantly debated. One theory was said that they used grade "A" milk calling it a chocolate A cream thus sounding like 'egg' cream. Stanley Auster, the grandson of the beverage's alleged inventor, has been quoted as saying that the origins of the name are lost in time.<ref>{{cite|author=John F. Mariani|title=Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink|publisher=Lebhar-Friedman:New York|date=1999}}</ref> One commonly accepted origin is that "Egg" is a corruption of the German (also found in Yiddish) word ''echt'' ("genuine" or "real") and this was a "good cream". It may also have been called an "Egg Cream" because in the late 19th century, there were already many chocolate fountain/dessert drinks using actual eggs (e.g. 'Egg Brin'),{{Citation needed|reason=can't find any non-circular reference to Egg Brin outside Wikipedia.|date=April 2011}} and Auster wanted to capitalize on the name.


==Etymology theories and speculations==
Author of the book Fix the Pumps,<ref>[http://books.google.ca/books?id=_H69qO6f438C Fix the Pumps]</ref> historical look at soda fountains, Darcy S. O'Neil claims that the "New York Egg Cream" is a variation of the original [[milkshake]] served at soda fountains throughout America in the late 19th century.<ref>New York Egg Creams - An evolution of the original milkshake.</ref>
[[File:Eggcreamparts.JPG|thumb|The ingredients of an egg cream: [[Fox's U-bet chocolate syrup|Fox's U-Bet]] chocolate syrup,<ref name="newyorker-proustian">{{cite magazine |last=Mead |first=Rebecca |date=8 August 2011 |title=Proustian |magazine=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/08/15/proustian |access-date=12 March 2022 |archive-date=30 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130221856/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/08/15/proustian |url-status=live }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite book |last=Mariani |first=John F. |date=1999 |title=Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink |publisher=Lebhar-Friedman:New York}}</ref>
Around 1885 the milkshake became a popular item at soda fountains. Unlike today's thick, ice cream like consistency, the original milkshakes were made with sweet cream (sometimes frozen as "ice cream"), a whole egg, flavored syrup and soda water. The egg, cream and syrup were shaken in a cocktail shaker until light and frothy, then poured into a glass where the soda water was added.


The egg cream originated among [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]]-speaking [[Eastern European Jews|Eastern European Jewish]] immigrants in New York City, so one explanation claims that ''egg'' is a corruption of the Yiddish {{lang|de|echt}} ('genuine' or 'real'), making an egg cream a "good cream".<ref>{{cite web |last=Ringler |first=Rachel |date=16 June 2021 |title=What is an egg cream and why is it so Jewish? |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |url=https://www.jta.org/2021/06/16/food/what-is-an-egg-cream-and-why-is-it-so-jewish |access-date=12 March 2022 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221195917/https://www.jta.org/2021/06/16/food/what-is-an-egg-cream-and-why-is-it-so-jewish |url-status=live }}</ref>
The Egg Cream was most likely a version created to keep the price low, as most soda fountain items were sold for 5 cents. As eggs and cream became more expensive they would be removed (eggs) or replaced (cream) with milk leading to what we now know as a New York Egg Cream.


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)."<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |date=2014 |title=New York City: A Food Biography |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=111}}</ref>
Sociologist [[Daniel Bell]] claims it was invented by his Uncle Hymie, who owned a candy store on Second Avenue in New York in the 1920s.


Another explanation comes from reports that it grew out of a request for {{lang|fr|chocolat et crème}} from someone, possibly the actor [[Boris Thomashefsky]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Gould |first=Jillian |date=2002 |title=Candy Stores and Egg Creams |work=Jews of Brooklyn |publisher=UPNE |page=203}}</ref> (who had experienced a similar drink in Paris.)<ref name="whatscookingamerica-nyeggcreamhistory">{{cite web |last=Stradley |first=Linda |date=17 April 2015 |title=New York Egg Cream Recipe and History |website=What's Cooking America |url=https://whatscookingamerica.net/history/nyeggcreamhistory.htm |access-date=12 March 2022 |archive-date=20 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320040029/https://whatscookingamerica.net/history/nyeggcreamhistory.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="blogs.nytimes-egg-cream">{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Jennifer |date=5 August 2008 |title=Can the Egg Cream Make a Comeback? |work=City Room |publisher=The New York Times Company |url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/can-the-egg-cream-make-a-comeback/ |access-date=12 March 2022 |archive-date=28 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128092933/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/can-the-egg-cream-make-a-comeback/ |url-status=live }}</ref> His heavy accent altered the name into something like "egg cream," which then developed into the current term.
Another explanation comes from reports that it grew out of a request for "''chocolat et crème''" from someone who had experienced a similar drink in Paris, which name morphed phonetically into the current version. Yet another plausible answer is that the first version did, in fact, use egg and cream, but due to the food limitations in WWII they were dropped from the recipe. One work from 1859, ''Domestic and rural affairs.: The family, farm and gardens, and the domestic animals'', does include a recipe that consists of barely more than these two ingredients:


==See also==
<blockquote>
{{portal|Drink}}
"Egg-Cream.-To the yolks of three eggs, and a dessertspoonful of good new milk or cream, add two drops of oil of cinnamon. This is a very good nourishing mixture. The oil of cinnamon is cordial and tonic, and the above has been recommended in lung complaints..."<ref>Elliot G Storke, ''Domestic and rural affairs.: The family, farm and gardens, and the domestic animals,'' Auburn, N. Y.,: The Auburn publishing company, 1859; page 102</ref>
* [[Italian soda]]
</blockquote>
* [[Milkis]]

* [[Pilk]]
A similar recipe still was cited at the beginning of the 20th century, but had already dropped the cream:
* [[Seltzer]]

* [[List of chocolate beverages]]
<blockquote>
"EGG CREAM.

The yolks of 6 eggs, 1/2 pint of water, juice of 1 lemon, 2 oz. of sifted sugar, a little cinnamon. Beat up all the ingredients, put the mixture into a saucepan over a sharp fire, and whisk it till quite frothy, taking care not to let it boil; fill into glasses and serve at once."<ref>Thomas R. Allinson, ''The Allinson Vegetarian Cookery Book'', 1915</ref>
</blockquote>

Another from the same year (1915) uses both ingredients, though the intent here seems to be to reinforce whipped egg whites:

<blockquote>
"3. EGG CREAM.

2 tablespoons fresh cream, the white of 1 egg.

Put the white of egg on to a plate and beat to a stiff froth with the flat of a knife. (A palette knife is the best.) Then beat the cream into it. This makes a nourishing dressing for either vegetable salad or fruitsalad. Especially suitable for invalids and persons of weak digestion."<ref>Florence Daniel, ''The Healthy Life Cook Book'', 1915</ref>
</blockquote>

This supports another likely explanation for the name, which relates to the fact that the term "egg cream" was a very common term in the past (especially in the United States) for beaten egg whites, and the foam on the top of the beverage resembles these.

==Recipe==
{{howto|section}}
[[Image:Eggcreamparts.jpg|thumb|left|300px|The ingredients of an egg cream: chocolate syrup, seltzer, and whole milk.]]
Because a traditional egg cream relied upon seltzer under high pressure being delivered via a siphon nozzle rather than poured from a bottle, modern preparation has been slightly altered to preserve the traditional layer effect.<ref>http://www.jaykeller.com/cooking/eggcream.htm</ref><ref>http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/NYEggCreamHistory.htm</ref><ref>http://www.homemade-dessert-recipes.com/egg-cream-recipes.html</ref>

Pour one part very cold whole milk, optionally froth with handheld [[Aerolatte]]-style frother or equivalent. Pour two or three parts seltzer from a just-opened bottle, add a quarter to half-inch of chocolate syrup, and froth just a second or two at the very bottom to mix, preserving distinct layers.

This method gives a chocolatey top. Another method froths the milk and seltzer then pours the chocolate syrup in, causing a chocolate-colored bottom and white top.

==Variations==
The Brooklyn Egg Cream consisted of chocolate syrup while the New York Egg Cream used vanilla syrup. The vanilla egg cream was offered for 5 cents in the 1950s and 1960s at classic Manhattan candy and newspaper shops in Yorkville and East Harlem.

==Similar beverages==
Other sweet soda- and milk-based beverages include the [[Cuisine of Vietnam|Vietnamese]] [[soda sữa hột gà]], a beverage prepared with [[sweetened condensed milk]], [[egg yolk]], and soda water.

[[Milkis]], a beverage made by the Korean Company, Lotte Chilsung, is also a sweet-soda-milk drink. It's a citrusy soda base mixed with a little milk. Milkis comes in a variety of flavors, including strawberry, orange, and muskmelon.

A Smith and Curran (or Smith and Kearns) is an alcoholic beverage, developed in North Dakota during the mid-20th century oil boom, made of coffee liqueur, cream, and soda water.

There may also be other alcoholic cocktail variants that make use of eggs, often called a "something sour", see [[Sour (cocktail)]] for details.

==World's largest==
In June 1980, Stuart Grunther and Ron Roth owned a siphon seltzer distributing company in NYC called Seltzer Unlimited. They were responsible for creating the world's largest chocolate egg cream in Central Park, NY. It was 110 gallons in size and the contents were given away. Major media coverage included the AP wire services. The event was sponsored by Fox's U-Bet syrup and the NYC Parks Department.<ref>NY Post June 6, 1980 Page 35</ref><ref>Village Voice Centerfold Week June 4–10, 1980</ref><ref>The SoHo News June 11, 1980 Page 5</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A533792 Egg cream] on [[h2g2]]
{{Commonscat}}
*{{cite news|url=http://www.heritageradionetwork.com/programs/40-Brooklyn-Eats?page=2|title=The Return of The Egg Cream (radio episode)|last=Wharton|first=Rachel|work=Brooklyn Eats|publisher=Heritage Radio Network|accessdate=2 January 2011}}
*{{cite web |last=Beller |first=Daniel |title=The True Origins of the Egg Cream |website=Mr Beller's Neighborhood |url=http://www.mrbellersneighborhood.com/story.php?storyid=1916}}
*[http://www.artofdrink.com/blog/entry/egg-creams Origins of the Egg Cream]
*{{cite news |last=Wharton |first=Rachel |title=The Return of The Egg Cream |work=Brooklyn Eats |publisher=Heritage Radio Network |url=http://www.heritageradionetwork.com/programs/40-Brooklyn-Eats?page=2 |access-date=2 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114005014/http://www.heritageradionetwork.com/programs/40-Brooklyn-Eats?page=2 |archive-date=14 January 2011}} (Radio episode)
*[http://www.mrbellersneighborhood.com/story.php?storyid=1916 "The True Origins of the Egg Cream," by Daniel Bell]
*[http://www.foxs-syrups.com/egg_cream.html Egg cream recipe from H. Fox & Co.]
*[http://www.jaykeller.com/cooking/eggcream.htm Egg Cream recipe]
*[http://www.gerritsenmemories.com/hist_stor/eggcream.htm "Gerritsen Beach]


{{Jewish cuisine}}
{{Chocolate beverages}}
{{Chocolate beverages}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Egg Cream}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Egg Cream}}
[[Category:Soft drinks]]
[[Category:American drinks]]
[[Category:Chocolate beverages]]
[[Category:Jewish American cuisine]]
[[Category:Milk]]
[[Category:Chocolate drinks]]
[[Category:Cuisine of New York City]]
[[Category:Cuisine of New York City]]
[[Category:American beverages]]
[[Category:Milk-based drinks]]
[[Category:Historical foods in American cuisine]]

[[Category:Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine]]
[[de:Egg cream]]
[[fr:Egg cream]]

Latest revision as of 02:58, 17 November 2024

Egg cream
TypeFountain beverage
Country of origin United States
FlavorVarious; primarily chocolate, but can be any flavored syrup
IngredientsFlavored 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]

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.[citation needed]

Etymology theories and speculations

[edit]
The ingredients of an egg cream: Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup,[5] 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.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  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.
[edit]