According to popular legend, ice cream was invented by the ancient Chinese, brought to Italy by Marco Polo, to France by Catherine de Medici, and thence to America by Thomas Jefferson. The truth, however, about summer’s favorite chilled dairy treat is a bit more difficult to pin down.
Iced drinks and desserts have been around since at least 4000 B.C., when nobles along the Euphrates River built icehouses to take the edge off the Mesopotamian summer heat. Snow, likely used to cool wine, was sold in the streets of Athens in the fifth century B.C., while the Roman emperor Nero (A.D. 37–67) enjoyed iced refreshments laced with honey. Sources from the Tang dynasty in China describe a sweet drink made from iced, camphor-laced water buffalo milk.
The Ice Cream Cone Came Via a Chance Encounter
Turkish Sherbert
Chilled refreshments were also popular in the Islamic world. The English word sherbet comes from the Turkish term for a broad category of sweetened drinks, often cooled with snow from storehouses. Faloodeh, a Persian treat of vermicelli noodles in chilled syrup, dates back centuries. In India, Mughal emperors savored kulfi, a quasi-ice cream made from condensed milk frozen in molds.
Indeed, the first verified records of kulfi are nearly contemporary with the earliest evidence of frozen sherbets and ice creams in Europe. In both cases what made this breakthrough possible was the knowledge (familiar to many in the Arab world since the 13th century) that ice mixed with salt set in motion an exothermic chemical reaction, which created a heat-sucking slurry with a far lower freezing point than typical water. Immersed in a bath of exothermic brine, ice crystals easily formed in various liquid concoctions. Stirred regularly to prevent large ice crystals from forming, a scoop-able frozen foam resulted.
Italian Ices
The first European ice creams and water ices (sherbets) were likely made in Italy during the early 1600s (a century after a teenaged Catherine de Medici departed Florence to become queen of France). Descriptions of water ice desserts date to the 1620s, and by midcentury they were a feature of banquets in Paris, Florence, Naples and Spain. In 1672 Englishman Elias Ashmole recorded that “one plate of ice cream” had been served to King Charles II at a banquet the previous year. In 1694 Antonio Latini, a Neapolitan steward, published a recipe for a milk sorbet laced with candied pumpkin.
The Food That Built America
New episodes of The Food That Built America premiere Sundays at 9/8c and stream the next day.
George Washington Served Ice Cream
Ice cream crossed the Atlantic with the European colonists, and was served by first lady of colonial Maryland as early as 1744. George Washington bought a mechanical ice cream maker for his estate at Mount Vernon in 1784, the same year Thomas Jefferson likely acquired a taste for French ice cream while serving as a diplomat in Paris. While president, Jefferson served ice cream in the executive mansion at least six times. In a lifetime of copious notes and writings, Jefferson only wrote out ten recipes, one of which was for French-style vanilla ice cream, fortified with egg yolks.
By the late-19th century, America was a hotbed of ice cream innovation. A Philadelphia pharmacist mixed the first ice cream soda in 1874. The ice cream sundae dates to 1881 (with several Midwestern towns claiming to be the site of its invention)—its name likely coming from “blue laws” that banned sale of soda drinks on Sundays. The first edible ice cream cups were patented in the 1880s, around the time that milkshakes—originally promoted as a health drink—became popular.
The waffle cone rocketed to fame when introduced at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, and the Popsicle was patented in 1923. Both Dairy Queen and the Carvel company claim to have developed the first soft-serve ice cream in the mid-1930s, while frozen yogurt was a latecomer, introduced in the 1970s.
Today ice cream and its frigid cousins are known and loved worldwide, even imported to Antarctica, where a Frosty Boy soft-serve machine is a famous focal point for the scientists who work at McMurdo Station.
FAQs
The origins of ice cream, sorbet and other chilled dairy treats are difficult to pin down—but span back to antiquity. According to popular legend, ice cream was invented by the ancient Chinese, brought to Italy by Marco Polo, to France by Catherine de Medici, and thence to America by Thomas Jefferson.
Who made ice cream first in the world? ›
The earliest evidence of anything approaching ice cream being made was in China in the Tang period (A.D. 618-907). Buffalo, cows' and goats' milk was heated and allowed to ferment.
Who brought ice cream to America? ›
Ice cream's origins
But it was British confectioner Philip Lenzi who introduced ice cream to America. In 1774, Lenzi put an ad in the New York Gazette announcing that he would make ice cream available to the masses.
What is the oldest ice cream in the world? ›
Booza origins dates back to at least 1500 AD in Greater Syria and is sometimes referred to as the "first ice cream in the world".
Who invented vanilla ice cream? ›
Though he didn't invent ice cream—or even introduce it to America— Jefferson is credited with the first-known ice cream recipe recorded by an American. The flavor? Vanilla. But it was Jefferson's enslaved chef, James Hemings, who is thought to have perfected vanilla ice cream.
Who is the father of ice cream? ›
Augustus Jackson was dubbed the Father of Ice Cream because he revolutionized the ice cream making process. He was the first one who used salt to make the ice melt slower. His ice cream making process and recipes revolutionized ice cream in Philadelphia.
Did Romans have ice cream? ›
By the way, and for the records – in reality, the Romans did not have the techniques required to make “real” ice cream, so in that sense, this recipe is most certainly an anachronism (read more about ancient attempts to make ice cream here!).
What is America's oldest ice cream brand? ›
America's oldest ice cream company—established in 1861—Bassetts Ice Cream was the first merchant to sign a lease at the Reading Terminal Market in 1892 and is still owned and operated by the same family today.
Who eat the first ice cream? ›
Early frozen desserts
Some sources describe ice cream-like foods as originating in Persia as far back as 550 BC. Using ice houses and ice pools, Persians were able to serve and produce faloodeh and sorbets all year round.
Which president popularized ice cream? ›
Jefferson also likely helped to popularize ice cream in this country when he served it at the President's House in Washington. One of only ten recipes surviving in Thomas Jefferson's hand, the recipe for ice cream most likely dates to his time in France.
While vanilla has reigned supreme as the world's favorite ice cream flavor for many years, a new report from the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) shows that it may be at risk of losing that position soon. So what other flavors rounded out the list?
Is ice cream healthy? ›
Experts suggest eating any foods that contain added sugar and saturated fat, like ice cream, in a moderate and mindful way. In excess, these foods might displace nutritious choices in your diet and increase the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes over time.
Why is it called ice cream? ›
The first ice cream parlor in America opened in New York City in 1776. American colonists were the first to use the term "ice cream." The name came from the phrase "iced cream," which was similar to "iced tea." The name was later abbreviated to "ice cream," the name we know today.
What is the black ice cream? ›
Black ice cream tastes strongly like coconut. It specifically tastes like coconut ash, however. It is made from a combination of coconut cream, coconut flakes and coconut milk. Do all ice cream flavors start off with vanilla?
Why is it called 1905 Vanilla? ›
"Creamy Creations has two flavors that line up on either side of Blue Bell's Homemade Vanilla: our Homemade Vanilla and 1905 Vanilla (named for the year H-E-B was founded). I suggest that everybody do their own taste test and pick a winner." McClelland's favorite is 1905 Vanilla.
What color is vanilla naturally? ›
Meanwhile, vanilla pods are brownish-black, vanilla extract comes in shades of brown, and, when Europeans first encountered this new-world orchid in the sixteenth century, it was in the context of chocolate.
Who made the first soft ice cream? ›
In 1938, near Moline, Illinois, J. F. McCullough and his son, Alex, developed their soft-serve formula. Their first sales experiment was on August 4, 1938, in Kankakee, Illinois, at the store of their friend, Sherb Noble.
Was ice cream invented in Egypt? ›
Back in Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, ice-and snow-drinks were served to the rich and wealthy, and what we can loosely call the first ice cream cup was found in Egypt in a tomb from the Second Dynasty in 2700 BC.
Who created ice cream man? ›
Who invented ice cream black history? ›
Augustus Jackson (April 16, 1808 – January 11, 1852), was an African American businessperson, chef, ice cream maker, and confectioner from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is credited as inventing a modern method of manufacturing ice cream and for new flavor development.
