With the temperatures rising, everybody is craving Eis (ice cream)! You may like Vanille (vanilla), Schokolade (chocolate) or Erdbeere (strawberry). But what’s the fun in boring balls of ice cream, when you can play around a little? That’s what an Eismacher (ice cream maker) in Germany thought in the 1960s, with resounding success! Introducing… The Spaghettieis (spaghetti ice cream)!

What? Why?!

MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

What do you get when you mix Sahne (whipped cream), Vanilleeis (vanilla ice cream), Erdbeersoße (strawberry sauce) and weiße Schokolade (white chocolate)? With proper preparation, you get Spaghettieis. It is as crazy as it sounds – spaghetti ice cream is ice cream that looks like a dish of the Italian pasta, topped with tomato sauce and parmesan. Except, it is all kalt (cold), klebrig (sticky) and süß (sweet).

Who invented it is contested, but by most accounts, Dario Fontanella, from Mannheim, is pointed to as the Erfinder (inventor) of the special Eisgericht (ice cream dish). Eliano Rizzardini, from Neuss, claims to have invented it. What’s sure is the year. Both claim that 1969 was the year of their ingenious find. And what’s sure is that the Erfinder is an Italian.

Fontanella claims that he wanted to honor the warm pasta dish from his homeland. Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco, a French/Italian dessert made of Sahne, Kastanien (chestnuts) and Kakaopulver (cocoa powder), inspired him. This dessert also has ice cream pressed into these long pasta-like strings.

Spaghettieis combines the favorite two Italian dishes of the Germans: Spaghetti and gelato! So how could it not be successful? After it was first served, it became popular quickly and was replicated all over the country. These days, it’s impossible to not find Spaghettieis on the Speisekarte (menu) of any serious Eiscafé (ice cream shop)!

How is it made?

First, you put a nice blob of Sahne on a plate. That place is topped with the vanilla spaghetti. To make these, you need an ice-cold Spätzlepresse (spätzle press). Through that, you press the vanilla ice cream to get the strings. You then make the “sugo” by blending fresh strawberries and sweetening them somewhat. Finally, you top it off with some “parmiggiano”: finely rasped weiße Schokolade (white chocolate).

The Eisgericht looks so much like the real thing, that some customers weren’t so happy with their order. Kinder (children) who wanted some Eis, just like their parents, were served a plate of Spaghetti. This led to screaming, crying and very unhappy children, until they realised that now their favorite hot dish also comes in a cold version!

Personally, I am not a huge fan of Spaghettieis, but I remember from my childhood that my brother used to love it. It was his Eisgericht of choice! Have you had Spaghettieis before? Would you like to try? Are there curious Eisgerichte that were invented in your country? Let me know in the comments below!