Flake 99

flake 99:"Ninety-nine n. (also 99) Brit. an ice cream cone made with soft ice cream with a stick of flaky chocolate inserted into it (as 99 a proprietary name in the United Kingdom); (formerly) an ice cream wafer sandwich containing a similar stick of chocolate; a wafer cone or chocolate stick for an ice cream (disused)."

Why have I chosen to define Britain's favourite summer seaside vacation treat? Due much in fact to the prompting of my husband to taste his 'motherlands' ice cream of choice, I discovered a sordid past to the origins of the name of the aforementioned soft serve snack.

So what's in a name?

First off with a warning-Do not assume 99p is all you will need to purchase your ice cream cone because the origin of its name by no means reflects on its price. My introduction to Flake 99 cost me two pounds fifty! A 99 is soft ice cream in a cone with a Cadbury Flake bar protruding out of it. Sounds simple enough, but the reason for its name sake has been lost over history, so if you really must know-you will be left wanting.

A Flake is a half milk chocolate- half air, layered stick that comes in original size and a '99' specific size for the purpose of lending itself to an ice cream treat. Not having the emotional attachment my British husband does to this product of his youth, I find it resembles a twig or worse yet a a little log of dog poop. Sorry fans of the Flake, I tell it as I see it. The Flake 99 was introduced as early as the 1920's and won its way into the hearts of the UK, still present as the main attraction of ice cream trucks today.

Was it named after the location of a high street shop in Portabello, Edinburgh where it may have originated ten years before Cadbury launched their version?

Is the flake in question 99 mm long even though it is marketed in a country that wouldn't have used the metric system back then?

Was it in reference to the King of Italy's elite guard consisting of 99 soldiers and a prevalence of Italian ice cream purveyors? I am not making this up friends!

Are there 99 layers of chocolate or do the layers consists of patterns that resemble tiny nines?

Nobody really knows for sure, but apparently the 99 is as fun to speculate about as it is to eat.

The Flake 99 is available at ice cream trucks everywhere, taking into consideration I am located in the UK, and in a pre-packaged form marketed by Cadbury. Why not save a tree and eat a cone instead?

I think Shakespeare may have had it right that sometimes it doesn't matter what things are called, but rather what they are. So take the opportunity to try this traditional treat for yourself when you arrive. And enjoy!

edinburgh x erin