The 'Heavenly' Old-School Ice Cream Flavor That Was Popular In The '70s
If you were to ask a room full of people what their favorite flavor of ice cream is, you'd likely get a lot of chocolates, vanillas, perhaps chocolate chip cookie doughs, or strawberries, and mint chips. If anyone were to mention Heavenly Hash flavor, they'd likely be a person of a certain age. It's just not a flavor you see much anymore, but in the 70s, it was in its heyday, just like several other old school flavors.
Heavenly Hash was a delicious blend of chocolate ice cream, marshmallow swirl, roasted almonds, and chocolate chips or pieces. It could be considered similar in flavor to Rocky Road, but it was still unique. The flavor concept actually originated with a candy created by New Orleans-based Elmer Candy Corporation in 1923. The egg-shaped confection was offered during the Easter season and featured marshmallows and nuts covered in a chocolate coating. The treat is still a popular Easter tradition in Louisiana.
It's unclear exactly who turned the sweet into an ice cream flavor, but the ingredients are suited perfectly for a cold, creamy dessert. Baby Boomers were smitten with Heavenly Hash ice cream, but today, the flavor isn't nearly as widespread as it once was. There are some creameries that still produce it, including Perry's Ice Cream and Hood.
Many dishes have been known as heavenly hash over the years
Interestingly enough, there have been several other sweet dishes over time called Heavenly Hash, and not all of them include chocolate, marshmallow, and nuts. The earliest recorded mention of the dish came in 1887 from the St. Louis Republican, according to The Food Timeline. The publication mentioned a dish that consisted of finely chopped oranges, bananas, lemons, apples, raisins, and pineapple, topped with grated nutmeg. It was served inside a hollowed-out orange. In 1909, The Food Timeline alleges that the Los Angeles Times described a Heavenly Hash recipe that included various fruits, nuts, sugar, and alcohol.
By 1925, some printed recipes began to resemble what we would recognize as Ambrosia salad; they featured a creamy base like whipped cream combined with various fruits (sometimes fresh and sometimes candied), nuts, and marshmallows. Greek mythology describes ambrosia as the food of the gods. The divine similarity between this and "heavenly hash" is about as obvious as they come. A 1964 recipe described a type of sweet, fruit-filled rice pudding (a dessert people have been eating since the dawn of time). And, in 1969, there was a Heavenly Hash dessert written in the New Pittsburgh Courier as consisting of butter almond ice cream, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Heavenly Hash Day is actually celebrated every year on February 2, and it's a great time to enjoy any of the treats that bear the name.