As a teenager in the ’70s, I watched the TV commercials in which author and foraging proponent Euell Gibbons emerged from a stand of cattails, took a seat at a small rustic table, and poured himself a bowlful of Grape-Nuts, proclaiming it tasted like wild hickory nuts. This was grownups’ food, I understood. Serious food. Some years later, I figured I would consume those gravely nuggets and their 6 grams of fiber with appropriate earnestness.

Then I discovered Grape-Nuts ice cream. A mixture of vanilla ice cream and nubs of barley-and-wheat cereal, this frozen treat has a loyal following in New England, particularly Maine. The history of its rise to regional cult favorite is spotty, but its popularity here makes sense to me. The flavor profile — fragrant, rich, not-too-sweet — puts it in the same category as old-fashioned Maine desserts like Indian pudding and hermit bars (both of which, come to think of it, would be enhanced by a scoop of Grape-Nuts ice cream).

Vanilla ice cream transforms Grape-Nuts, and Grape-Nuts transforms vanilla ice cream. The ordinarily brittle barley-and-wheat kernels turn soft and slightly chewy, and they, in turn, impart an understated maltiness to the frozen custard. It’s more of a friendly interaction than the kind takeover wrought by chocolate chunks, cookie crumbles, and peanut-butter cups. It’s grown-ups’ ice cream — complex, subtle, and delicious. — VIRGINIA M. WRIGHT

Virginia M. Wright is a Down East senior editor.