Ice Cream, Past and Present

860 Words2 Pages

Ice Cream All over America, people enjoy eating the sweet and creamy dish called ice cream. Besides its probable Chinese origin, there are many other fun facts surrounding ice cream's history. Since the invention of ice cream, many flavors and toppings have been discovered. Ice cream has indeed opened the door to a new world in the universe of desserts. The history of ice cream dates back to very early in the 15th century. Although no one knows for sure, ice cream is claimed to have originated in China and was introduced to Europe by Mark Twain after his travels to China (“ice cream”Wikipedia-The Online Encyclopedia). When ice cream was brought to America, it was given the name “ice cream” (Gail Damerow xvi). Previously, it had been called “ice”, “milk ice”, “cream ice”, or “butter ice” (Gail Damerow xvi). In America, ice cream was considered a specialty or rarity (Gail Damerow xvi). Famous people like George Washington and James Madison served ice cream at banquets (Gail Damerow xvi). George Washington especially liked ice cream (Gail Damerow xvi) and would eat it without it being a special occasion! With increased popularity, more ideas developed and ice cream production expanded. Jacob Fussel built the first ice cream factory in the 1800's (Mary Bellis) and the first American ice cream parlor went into business in the late 1700's (Mary Bellis). The ice cream scooper was invented in 1897 (Mary Bellis) and in 1946, Nancy Johnson invented the hand-crank ice cream freezer (Mary Bellis). New ice cream products also became popular. Ice cream bars, sundaes, milkshakes, and ice cream sodas were all successful “descendants” of ice cream. Over the years, many flavors have been made. Because new flavors are being made everyday, no one has ever counted the exact number. There are many different flavors ranging from the unusual ones like “the mash” (peas and gravy ice cream) and Candied Bacon (Ariel Schwartz) to the more common flavors. The three most popular flavors in the U.S. are vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry (Encyclopedia Britannica “ice cream”). In fact, strawberry is guessed to have first been eaten at one of Dolly Madison's banquets (Gail Damerow xvi).

More about Ice Cream, Past and Present

Open Document