What’s a better sweet treat, any time of year, than a delicious scoop — or two— of ice cream? In fact, it’s practically more American than apple pie, as ice cream consistently tops the charts for the most beloved dessert in the United States. It may come as no surprise that the state that eats the most ice cream is not only one of the hottest in terms of temperature but also the state that produces the most ice cream — California. Ice cream is so ingrained into Californian history that you can thank the Golden State for not only the creation of the hot fudge sundae back in 1906 in a little town called Hollywood but also for setting the record for the largest ice cream sundae ever constructed: a towering 12-feet tall sundae weighing almost 5,000 pounds. That’s a lot of ice cream!
It is also no surprise that the number one ice cream flavor in California is Rocky Road since the city of Oakland is responsible for naming the iconic flavor after the 1929 stock market crash as a way to bring back smiles. You can take your next scoop of rocky road to the next level by sprinkling espresso grounds over the top for a buzzy ice cream topping. The other top flavor favorites for California include chocolate, Neapolitan, cookie dough, and coconut.
Genius flavors and generational greatness with Golden State ice cream
Helping California claim the top spot for ice cream eating epic-ness are the over 4,000 ice cream shops across the state. Among them is Wanderlust Creamery, located throughout Southern California. The flavors featured at Wanderlust hinge on the spirit of adventure and childhood nostalgia, creating ice creams that are as unique as they are timeless — every flavor represents a location important to the founders. These include a vegan sticky rice and mango, black sesame cookies and cream, and pandan tres leches.
The oldest ice cream parlor in California is located just outside of Los Angeles and has been run by the Fosselman family, who’ve been making ice cream since 1919 — over 100 years of ice cream! They feature classic California flavors as well unique ones that highlight the varying cultures seen throughout their community like ube, lychee, and Mexican chocolate.
The Fosselman family isn’t the only generational shop in the state, nor do they have the exclusive on rare flavors. Nestled in the central valley of California, an area that ranked in the top 24 markets in the U.S. for ice cream consumption, is the home of the iconic Superior Dairy that serves up 3½ pound sundaes in massive goblets. It’s no German spaghetti ice cream, but it sure is scrumptious. This ice cream parlor maintains the quaint atmosphere of its early days, first opening its doors in 1929. Further north is the small town of Gilroy, dubbed the Garlic Capital of the World, where visitors can indulge in the savory sweetness of garlic ice cream sourced from local garlic.
