Donut Age: America's Donut Magazine

Philly Phoods

My parents just sent me a package of regional delicacies from my Ancestral Home. Ivins Famous Spiced Wafers in the classic orange-and-black box There were two giant jars of sweet pepper strips for a friend, who was introduced (and quickly became addicted) to them as hoagie condiments while visiting NJ with us this summer. More importantly,there were three boxes of Ivins Famous Spiced Wafers, which are probably unknown to anyone who has never resided in the greater Delaware Valley. Spiced Wafers bear a certain resemblance to ginger snaps, but transcend them in almost every way (darker, spicier, molassesier and, well, better). They are only sold in the fall and only in the Philadelphia area (one can, however, order Ivins online), where they have a fanatical following . This article from the Philadelphia Inquirer might help explain the Spiced Wafer phenomenon to the uninitiated.