The history of ice cream
 The
history of ice cream is a messy one. Many nations claim to have invented
it, just as various individuals take credit for it. Still, it makes for
a chilling drama. So grab a bowl of your favourite flavour, and dig in.
A.D. 54-68: For centuries, iced desserts were a luxury. The Roman
Emperor Nero is said to have sent his slaves into the mountains to fetch
snow to mix with nectar, fruit pulp, and honey, although this widely
told tale may be a myth.
A.D. 618-907: The origins of ice cream date back to China's T'ang
period, probably as a dish for the country's rulers. The founder of the
dynasty, King T'ang of Shang, kept 94 "ice men" on hand to lug ice to
the palace to make a dish made of koumiss (heated, fermented milk),
flour, and camphor.
1744: American colonists brought along recipes from Europe. On May
19, 1744, a group of VIPs dined at the home of Maryland Governor Thomas
Bladen. A Scottish colonist who described "a Dessert" was present. Among
the rarities of which was composed, of some fine ice cream which, with
the Strawberries and milk, eat most deliciously." This is the first
written account of ice cream consumption in the new colonies.
1782: Ever heard of how Martha Washington left a bowl of sweet cream
on the back steps of Mount Vernon one night, and the next morning
discovered ice cream? It's a nice story, but not true. George
Washington, described in his ledger, "a cream machine for ice."
1843: Until September 9, 1843, ice cream was made by the "pot freezer
method," but on this day, Nancy M. Johnson of Philadelphia got her
"artificial freezer" patented, containing a tub, cylinder, lid, dasher,
and crank. This design is still widely used today.
1850: Baltimore dairyman Jacob Fussell opened the first commercial
ice cream factory. He had a surplus of cream so he built an ice cream
factory in Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania, and shipped it to Baltimore by
train. Business boomed, and Fussell became the father of the wholesale
ice cream industry.
1880: Buffalo, NY; Evanston, IL; Two Rivers, WI; and Ithaca, NY all
claim to have invented the ice cream sundae. Wherever it happened, it
first started appearing in soda fountains during the 1880's. It was
invented because ice cream sodas weren't allowed to be sold on Sundays;
the ice cream sundae was a way to circumvent that restriction. On
September 22, 1903, there is a recorded application for a patent for the
ice cream cone by Italo Marchiony.
1939: Grocery stores didn't start selling ice cream until the 1930's,
and by WWII, ice cream had become so popular that it turned into
somewhat of an American symbol (Mussolini banned it in Italy for that
same reason). Ice cream was great for troop morale, and in 1943, the
U.S. Armed Forces were the world's largest ice cream manufacturers!
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Fun facts about ice cream and you
* It takes about 50 licks to lick away one scoop of ice cream!
* Of all the days of the week, most ice cream is bought on Sunday!
* Children aged 2-12 and adults over 45 eat the most ice cream!
* More men (13%) admit to licking their ice cream bowls clean than
women (8%)!
* Vanilla, chocolate, butter pean, strawberry, and mint chocolate
chip are the most popular ice cream flavours!
*Chocolate syrup is the most popular ice cream topping!
*5% of ice cream eaters share their ice cream with their pet!
*The largest ice cream cake in the world weighed 12,096 pounds. It
was made by Carvel Ice Cream Company to celebrate their 70th Birthday on
May 25, 2004.
*The largest ice cream scoop pyramid was made of 3,894 scoops and
weighed 1,005 pounds. Carvel Ice Cream Company made it live on the CBS
Early Show on August 20, 2002. It took 58 minutes to complete.
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