The icy origins of everyone's favorite treat...Ice Cream.
Ice cream is one of those desserts that is so loved and popular we can’t imagine a time without it, or when the frosty treat froze into existence. Food Historians have come to the consensus that we have the Chinese to thank for paving the way for the modern ice cream of today. Around 1100 B.C the Chinese invented ice houses that allowed them to store ice and snow from the Winter months to be used in the Summer.
This allowed the Chinese to use the snow and ice to experiment and create an early version of the icy treat we so enjoy today. Unlike modern ice cream, early versions mainly consisted of ice or snow, flavored with fruit juices or sweet syrups.
Don't forget the Cream!
It was not until later that cream was added to the everchanging recipe that makes up the ice cream of today. Cream is said to have been slowly introduced to the recipe around the 17th century through the help of the Italians. The term “Iced Cream” originated from the actual process of the sweet treat’s creation. The more chilled or “iced” the cream was, the more firm and solid it became. “Iced Cream” also had many unique names in different languages.
What's in a name? The American contribution
It was not until 1744 that the frosty treat was referred to as "Ice Cream" like it is today. This reference was made in America by a visiting official, William Black , who dined with Governor Thomas Bladen of Maryland. In Black’s journal, he describes being served “among the Rarities,…some fine Ice Cream…,” which historians credit to have been an early version of strawberry ice cream.
Do you love ice cream more than George Washington?
In the early days of ice cream, few people had access to the chilly dessert, as not many could afford ice cream or the ice boxes to store it. For a long time, ice cream was a dessert enjoyed by only the elite and wealthy. Many of the first American Presidents indulged in this coveted dessert. According to early records kept by a Chatham Street, New York, merchant, President George Washington loved ice cream so much he spent almost $200 on securing this sweet treat in the year 1790.
Washington was such a fan that it is even reported that after his death his possessions included "two pewter ice cream pots." George Washington might have been one of the first American Presidents to regularly indulge in the frosty dessert of ice cream, but he was by no means the last or the most impactful on the history of ice cream. He was definitely looking forward to The Sundae After Next!
Comments