Do we all scream for bean ice cream?

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MILWAUKEE -- Grape-Nuts in New England. Blue Moon in Wisconsin. Red bean in Hawaii. Date in Palm Springs.

Vanilla and chocolate may rule America's collective palate when it comes to ice cream, but regional -- some would say unusual -- variations thrive throughout the country.

These are ice creams loved as much for their familiarity as for their exotic taste. It's a comfort-food thing. Breakfast cereals and beans may seem odd additions, but for the right people, they provide ties to regional or ethnic flavors from childhood.

That's why when Roger Gifford and his brother, John, began making ice cream at their family's Skowhegan, Maine, dairy in 1980, they turned to decades-old recipes saved from their grandparents' ice cream business in Connecticut.

One of their original flavors, Grape-Nuts, ranks behind only vanilla and chocolate in supermarket sales for the company, says Mike Brandt, sales and marketing director for Gifford's Ice Cream.

"Grape-Nuts is a phenomenon," he says.

Many people combine it with another New England staple, drizzling warm maple syrup over the ice cream.

"It is a northern New England traditional flavor," Mr. Brandt says. "You won't see that outside of northern New England."

People begin to develop their ice cream preferences early in childhood, often associating their favorite flavor with positive experiences, says John Nihoff, an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.

"Ice cream gets set up as a reward for kids," he says. " 'You did well on your report card, so let's take you for ice cream.' "