Ants on a log

Ants on a log is a snack made by spreading peanut butter, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, or another spread on celery, pretzels or bananas and placing raisins (diced olives, chocolate chips, etc.) on top. The snack and its name are presumed to be from the 1950s.[1][2] The classic peanut butter version of ants on a log is recommended as a healthy snack by the McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[3] The fun name and simple flavors appeal to children.

Not to be confused with Ants climbing a tree.
Ants on a log made with peanut butter
Ants on a "snowy" log made using cream cheese

Origins

Stuffed celery became a popular snack in the early 1900s after the inclusion of such recipes as Celery with Roquefort in the book Catering for Special Occasions with Menus and Recipes by Fannie Merritt Farmer. Celery was most commonly stuffed with a form of cheese, most popular being cream cheese, and was often topped with capers or olives. The inventor of the peanut butter/raisin combination of the snack is unknown. However, many attribute the popularization of the combination to the Girl Scouts, where the recipe has been featured in several iterations of the Girl Scout Cookbook as far back as 1946, although at that time the recipe was titled "Celery Sticks" and did not include raisins. The first time the "Ants on a Log" snack was mentioned in print was in an article published by the Star Tribune on February 15, 1959, which reads, "Anne Marie is working on snacks. Popcorn, cheese dips, and the other night, ants on a log have been some of the foods the family has shared.”[4]

Variants

There are numerous variations of ants on a log, including:

  • In episode The Manager and the Salesman of The Office season 6, Erin reveals that Michael has her bring ants on a log at 2.30pm every day.
  • In episode “Wilson Furlbee” of series One Dollar season 1, Terri Mitchell’s friend offers ants on a log to the kids.
  • In episode 5 "The Pixie and the Palimpsest" of Dimension 20 season 1 "Fantasy High", Gorgug's gnome parents bring out ants on a log to the adventuring party. Fellow party member and wealthy kid Fabian mistakenly believes his friends are eating actual ants.

See also

References
  1. Smith, Andrew F., ed. (2007). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 100. ISBN 9780195307962.
  2. "Ants on a Log: How did celery, peanut butter, and raisins become a snack time staple? Archived 2020-06-11 at the Wayback Machine" by Aimee Levitt. The Takeout. 8 June 2020. Accessed 10 June 2020.
  3. "Smart Snacks" (PDF). McKinley Health Center, University of Illinois. March 26, 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  4. "The Weirdly Untraceable Origin Story of Ants on a Log". Food52. 2019-09-12. Archived from the original on 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  5. Bailey, Stephanie (January 26, 2009). "Insect-themed Food". Dept of Entomology, Univ. of Kentucky College of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2014-12-15.
  6. Cain, Lisa (June 18, 2009). "Ants on a log". Snack Girl. Archived from the original on 2009-11-11. Retrieved 2014-12-15. Ants on a log is a combination of celery, cream cheese (or peanut butter), and raisins.
  7. "21 Fun Ways to Reinvent Ants on a Log". Nickelodeon. June 18, 2016. Archived from the original on 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
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