Blue moon (ice cream)


Blue moon is an ice cream flavor with bright blue coloring, available in the Upper Midwest of the United States and originating in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Chicago Tribune has 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.
Blue moon is found mainly in Virginia, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Ohio. It is found less frequently in Minnesota; Missouri, North Dakota; Iowa; Illinois; and Erie, Pennsylvania, and has reportedly been available in California; Colorado; Utah; Missouri; Western Pennsylvania; Tennessee; upstate and central New York; Houston; Nebraska; Wyoming; Arizona; Seattle; Charleston and Fayetteville, West Virginia, and as far south as Bradenton, Florida. Kilwins also provides this flavor in various states.
A similar flavor has also been sold in Italy as well as Malta under the name "puffo", which is Italian for "Smurf", as well as in Germany under the names "Schlumpf" and "Engelblau", which translate to "Smurf" and "angel blue" respectively, in France as "schtroumpf" and Slovenia under the name "modro nebo" which translates to "blue sky". In Poland this variety of ice cream is called "smerfowe" and is usually bubble-gum flavored.

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. Some dairies that make Blue Moon keep their ingredients a secret, adding to the mystique.