Over the past decades, there has been a ferocious debate about which is the better ice cream flavor: vanilla or chocolate. Vanilla is sweet and light, while chocolate is heavier.  Although chocolate has a richer and more pure flavor, vanilla was the most popular in a recent survey at NPHS, and it won by 23.6%.

One of the main reasons that vanilla is the most popular is due to its versatility. It’s almost like a blank canvas, so you can use a wide variety of toppings. There are sprinkles, caramel, chocolate, and more that you can use that won’t be overpowered by the chocolate taste. Vanilla’s subtle sweetness helps the other flavors shine through.

While some say that chocolate has a better texture, most say that vanilla has the better texture. A lot of students said that the chocolate ice cream was too rough and that the vanilla ice cream was very smooth.

Other than the texture, many people think that chocolate is heavy and boring. You can’t really spice it up since it doesn’t go very well with different toppings. The single note of chocolate is viewed to be one-dimensional. Chocolate ice cream is very heavy and not light and airy, like most people enjoy. Vanilla ice cream also goes better with more desserts than chocolate. It goes well with brownies, apple pie, cookies, chocolate lava cake, and banana bread pudding.

It’s also more of a nostalgic feeling. People mention that it reminds them of their childhood, which would make them want to eat it as they grow up. Vanilla ice cream is very light and tastes healthier. There is an authenticity to it that makes it tastier and fresher, which makes more people want to eat it.

One of the students said that they have a preference for vanilla ice cream, and after doing research, it shows that it could be linked to your sense of smell. According to a study done by 23andme, “In the tasteful debate of vanilla versus chocolate ice cream, your preference may actually be influenced by your sense of smell. Several genetic markers associated with ice cream flavor preference are located near olfactory receptor genes, like OR10A6 and OR5M8, which contain instructions for proteins that help detect odors.”