Tiger Tail Ice Cream Is A Canadian Creation & We Have So Many Questions

Everybody has a favourite dessert. Some of them can only be found in certain places. That includes the divisive tiger tail ice cream, which happens to be a purely Canadian creation. The real question about the orange and black frozen treat, though, is why does it exist at all?

The apparently elusive flavour blends orange ice cream with black licorice ribbons, giving the appearance of, what else? A tiger tail.

While a Google search for the frozen treat's origins doesn't turn up much information, a page on Atlas Obscura is dedicated to the flavour, and notes that it was popular in Canadian ice cream parlours from the 1950s to the 1970s.

It also says that tiger tail is surprisingly difficult to find anywhere else but Canada.

Does that mean that Canadians have some sort of attachment to an ice cream that blends orange and black licorice? We're not so sure, since it doesn't even sound all that appealing.

Now, if the black ribbons were, say, made of fudge instead, that might be slightly more palatable.

However, even the combination of orange and chocolate doesn't sit well with everyone, so there's just no winning.

Despite the odd choice of flavour combination that really shouldn't appeal to anyone, tiger tail remains a sought-after variety of ice cream in the Great White North.

It is still sometimes featured as a seasonal flavour at Baskin Robbins, according to a description on their website. 

Kawartha Dairy, President's Choice, and Chapman's all also offer their own versions of tiger tail for sale.

Ashley Chapman told the New York Times in 2017 that the flavour is not one of their best sellers, but it does have a vocal group of fans who apparently raise hell at just the thought of discontinuing it.

It might not be as beloved as butter tarts (which also get their own ice cream), but tiger tail belongs to Canada and proves that even the strangest dessert can have the biggest fans.