Blue moon (ice cream)
{{Short description|Ice cream flavor from the American Midwest}}
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| name = Blue moon
| image = Blue moon ice cream 1.jpg
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| type = Ice cream
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| region =Midwestern United States
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| serving_size = 100 g
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Blue moon is an ice cream flavor with bright blue coloring, available in the Upper Midwest of the United States. Multiple cities in the region claim to be the originator, with the popular theories including Plainwell, Michigan, Ludington, Michigan{{Cite web |date=2014-10-31 |title=House of Flavors Celebrates 66th Anniversary |url=https://businessanniversaries.com/house-flavors-celebrates-66-years/ |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=Business Anniversaries |language=en-US}}, and Erie, Pennsylvania. The Chicago Tribune described the ice cream as "Smurf-blue, marshmallow-sweet". Blue moon ice cream is one of the flavors that make up Superman ice cream in certain states.{{cite news|last=Schoenberg|first=Nara|date=August 31, 2007|title=Blue Moon - Cold case: An ice cream mystery|work=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/08/31/blue-moon-8/|access-date=2014-04-01|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502110615/https://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-08-31/features/0708300659_1_blue-moon-ice-cream-chocolate-and-strawberry|archive-date=2017-05-02}}{{cite web|url=http://whoonew.com/2013/07/blue-moon-ice-cream/|title=Melting the Mystery of Blue Moon Ice Cream|first=Kasey|last=Steinbrinck|date=July 6, 2013|publisher=WhooNEW|access-date=2014-04-01}}
Blue moon is found mainly in the Midwest—Wisconsin and Michigan in particular.{{cite web|url=http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/LIFE/705250365|title=Different regions of nation cherish offbeat ice cream flavors: Blue Moon, anyone?|first=M.L.|last=Johnson|publisher=southcoasttoday.com|date=May 25, 2007|access-date=2014-04-01|archive-date=2014-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407193934/http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/LIFE/705250365|url-status=dead}}
Characteristics
The varieties of blue moon vary in both color and flavor. Many aficionados of each variety of blue moon claim that their variety is the "real one", the "original", etc.{{cite web|url=http://www.masoncountypress.com/2013/06/05/house-of-flavors-ludingtons-famous-ice-cream-turns-65/|title=House of Flavors, Ludington's famous ice cream turns 65|publisher=MasonCountyPress.com|date=June 5, 2013|access-date=2014-04-01}}
Some dairies that make blue moon keep their ingredients a secret, adding to the mystique. Varieties that have distinct berry or vanilla flavor notes are sometimes theorized to have been originally flavored with castoreum.
Similar international flavors
A similar flavor has been sold in both Italy{{cite web|url=https://www.lacucinaitaliana.it/storie/piatti-tipici/gelato-gusto-puffo/|title=Il ritorno del gelato al gusto Puffo|date=9 September 2020 |publisher=La cucina italiana|accessdate=2024-09-20|language=it}} and Malta under the name {{Lang|it|puffo}}, which is Italian for 'Smurf', as well as in Germany under the names {{Lang|de|Schlumpf}} and {{Lang|de|Engelblau}}, which translate to 'Smurf' and 'angel blue', respectively.{{Cite web|url=https://www.springlane.de/magazin/rezeptideen/schlumpf-eis/|title=Schlumpf-Eis: Der blaue eiskalte Kinderliebling aus der Eismaschine|website=www.springlane.de|access-date=2021-08-21|archive-date=2023-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427053539/https://www.springlane.de/magazin/rezeptideen/schlumpf-eis/|url-status=dead}} In the Netherlands and Belgium, this flavor of ice cream is known as smurfenijs ('Smurf Ice').{{Cite web |title=Smurfenijs |url=https://thofvanys.be/webshop/schepijs/ijs/smurfenijs/ |access-date=2025-01-10 |website='t Hof VANYS |language=nl-NL}}
In France, it is called {{Lang|fr|schtroumpf}} and in Spain {{Lang|es|pitufo}} (both meaning 'Smurf').{{cite web |title=Las recetas de Masero: helado de Pitufo |url=https://www.lasrecetasdemasero.com/2015/07/helado-pitufo-de-nubes.html |website=Las recetas de Masero |access-date=29 August 2023 |language=es |date=20 July 2015}}
== See also ==