99 Flake

99 Flake, also commonly called a 99 or ninety-nine, is a traditional ice-cream product associated primarily with the United Kingdom and Ireland. The standard serving consists of vanilla-flavoured soft ice cream in a wafer cone, with a Cadbury Flake chocolate bar inserted vertically into the portion. It is especially linked with mobile ice-cream vans, seaside resorts, parks, fairs, high streets and independent ice-cream parlours. The product is closely connected to the history of Cadbury Flake chocolate. Cadbury developed the Flake in Britain during the 1920s after an employee observed that surplus chocolate draining from moulds formed thin, rippled strands with a distinctive crumbly texture. The chocolate's shape and texture made it suitable for placing inside ice cream. Early versions of the combination reportedly used a full-length Flake in an ice-cream sandwich between wafer biscuits. Cadbury later produced shorter Flake bars specifically for use in cones; by 1930 these were being sold as loose products in boxes under the 99 Flake name rather than individually wrapped like standard retail Flake bars. The origin of the number in the name is unresolved. Several explanations have circulated, including stories linking it to an ice-cream shop at number 99 in Portobello, Scotland, and another shop at 99 Wellington Street in Gorton, Manchester. A separate theory connects the name with Italian ice-cream sellers and the Italian conscripts born in 1899, known as the Ragazzi del '99. Cadbury has indicated that the precise explanation has been lost, while an old Cadbury works publication associated the number with the 99-man guard of the Italian king and the idea that anything especially good was a 99. These accounts remain competing explanations rather than an established single origin. The product's identity is flexible at the point of sale. A conventional 99 has one Flake, while a serving with two bars may be called a double 99 or bunny's ears. Vendors may add strawberry or raspberry syrup, traditionally known in some British usage as monkey's blood. Portion size, cone type, ice-cream quantity, toppings and price vary by seller and location. The name therefore functions both as a familiar product designation and as a cultural shorthand for a British-style soft-serve cone with a chocolate Flake. 99 Flake is not a diversified company or an independently structured corporate brand. Its commercial identity depends on the relationship between the serving format and Cadbury's Flake product, while individual vendors prepare and sell the finished cone. Its importance is primarily cultural and retail: it represents a recognizable form of seasonal British leisure food and remains associated with childhood memories, holiday destinations and traditional ice-cream vans.

The 99 Flake developed from the combination of Cadbury's Flake chocolate and the British ice-cream cone. Cadbury first developed the Flake in the United Kingdom during the 1920s. The product arose from a manufacturing observation: excess chocolate draining from moulds formed thin streams that cooled into irregular ripples. These ripples gave the bar its characteristic layered appearance and crumbly eating texture. The Flake's shape also made it useful as an accompaniment to ice cream. One early form of the product was an ice-cream sandwich in which a Flake was placed between two portions of ice cream and enclosed by wafer biscuits. The format later evolved into the more familiar cone, with a Flake inserted into soft ice cream served in a wafer. Cadbury produced shorter Flake pieces for this purpose, and by 1930 it was selling half-length bars specifically for use in ice-cream cones. These were marketed as 99 Flakes and supplied loose in boxes, distinguishing them from individually wrapped Flake bars intended for ordinary confectionery retail. The precise origin of the name 99 has never been conclusively established. One account attributes it to Stefano Arcari, an Italian ice-cream seller who operated from 99 Portobello High Street in Edinburgh's Portobello district. According to that story, he broke a larger Flake in half and placed it in an ice cream, with the shop address providing the name. Another address-based account associates the name with the Dunkerley family, who reportedly ran a sweet shop at 99 Wellington Street in Gorton, Manchester. Neither explanation can be treated as definitive on the available evidence. A further theory relates the name to Italian immigrant ice-cream sellers, many of whom came from northern Italian regions including Veneto, Trentino and Friuli. The number may have referred to the Italian soldiers born in 1899, known as the Ragazzi del '99, or to the long dark feather worn at an angle in the hats of Alpini soldiers. Cadbury has stated that the true reason has been lost, although an older Cadbury works paper offered a different explanation involving the 99-man guard of the Italian king and the use of 99 as a term for something special or first-class. As the product became established, it was sold mainly through ice-cream vans, parlours and seasonal outlets. Its typical form is vanilla soft serve in a wafer cone with one Flake inserted into the top. Regional and vendor variations include two Flakes, known as a double 99 or bunny's ears, and fruit syrup poured over the ice cream. Strawberry and raspberry syrups are particularly associated with the format; in some British contexts the red syrup is colloquially called monkey's blood. The finished cone is generally prepared and sold by an individual vendor rather than manufactured as a packaged consumer product by a single company. Cadbury supplies or historically supplied the characteristic chocolate component, while the soft ice cream, cone, toppings and retail experience depend on the operator. Consequently, 99 Flake is best understood as a product designation and cultural food format rather than a standalone corporate brand with its own headquarters, executive structure or broad portfolio. Its continuing recognition comes from its association with British seaside holidays, mobile ice-cream vans and informal outdoor consumption.

• 1930

  Short Flake pieces are marketed for ice-cream cones

  [1]99 Flakeen.wikipedia.org

  Cadbury begins producing shorter Flake pieces intended specifically for insertion into ice-cream cones. These products are marketed as 99 Flakes and sold loose in boxes.

• 1920

  Cadbury develops the Flake

  [1]99 Flakeen.wikipedia.org

  Cadbury develops the Flake chocolate bar in the United Kingdom. Its distinctive rippled structure is associated with chocolate draining from moulds and cooling into thin, crumbly layers.

Traditional British and Irish soft-serve ice cream associated with seaside, street-vending and leisure occasions

• Ice cream

  99 Flake

  The standard 99 Flake is a wafer cone filled with soft-serve ice cream, usually vanilla flavoured, with a Cadbury Flake inserted into the top. It is commonly prepared to order by ice-cream vans, parlours and seasonal leisure outlets. The serving's size, ice-cream quantity, cone style, price and toppings vary between vendors. Its defining feature is the combination of soft ice cream and the crumbly Flake bar.

• Ice cream

  Double 99

  A double 99 is a variation containing two Flake bars rather than one. The two bars can create a paired appearance that has also led to the nickname bunny's ears. It is a serving variation rather than a separately structured company brand, and its availability depends on the individual seller.

• Ice cream topping variation

  99 with syrup

  Some vendors finish a 99 Flake with strawberry or raspberry syrup poured over the soft serve. This topping variation adds colour and fruit flavour while retaining the cone, ice cream and Flake combination. In some British usage, the red syrup is given the colloquial name monkey's blood.

• Ice cream sandwich

  Early 99 Flake ice-cream sandwich

  An early form associated with the 99 concept consisted of a Flake placed between two portions of ice cream and then enclosed between two wafer biscuits. This format predates or differs from the cone presentation that later became the best-known version of the product.

1. 199 Flakeen.wikipedia.org