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References.
Some of the history comes from a great and fun reference book
about ice cream - "Everybody
loves ice cream" by Shannon Jackson Arnold. This is a great
colourful book with "the whole scoop on America's favourite
treat"- website links, recipes, fun facts, history and
collectibles. |
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Ice
cream was such a national icon in USA that President Reagan
designated July as National ice cream month in 1984. "Ice
cream is a nutritious and wholesome food, enjoyed by over 90%
of the people of the United States," he wrote in his proclamation.
"it enjoys a reputation as the perfect dessert and snack
food…(and) I call upon the people of the United States
to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities." |
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Luxury
take home ice cream can partly be credited to Reuben Mattus
of Brooklyn, New York when in 1961 he decided to buck the supermarket
trend at that time for cheaper and softer ice cream and created
a superpremium ice cream with only the finest ingredients. Mattus
was one of the small ice cream manufacturers, and he gave his
product a made-up, foreign sounding name of Haagen-Dazs, added
to its European aura by putting a map of Denmark on the carton
and tacking on an import worthy price. Initially three flavours
of chocolate, coffee and vanilla were available in New York
Gourmet shops but times and ownership have since changed. |
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First
class passengers on the Titanic were treated to French ice cream
for dessert according to the April 14 1912 menu. Second class
passengers had to settle for plain, egg-free American ice cream.
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Moulded
ice cream was popular in Victorian times. The fashion was to
present ice cream in an elaborate shape. See www.stclairicecream.com
for an American company making molded ice cream today. |
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Immigrants
to America, arriving in Ellis Island in the 1920s were given
ice cream as part of the introduction to a typical American
menu. Some new arrivals mistakenly spread this "frozen
butter" on their bread. |
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Making
ice cream at home became much easier after 1846 when Nancy Johnston
invented the first hand-cranked freezer. This invention could
make "iced" cream in about 20 minutes. |
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An
early Recipe. The confectioner to Queen Anne published "Mrs
Mary Eales Receipts" and included the first ice cream recipe.
It called for the filling one of two "Tin Ice Pots"
with plain or sweetened cream and fruit (if so desired). Then,
the bottom of the second pot was lined with straw and the first
pot placed inside wit 18 to 20 pounds of ice and a "pound
of Bay-Salt" layered around it. Finally, the ice cream
was left for four hours to harden in a cellar "where no
sun or light comes". With the invention of hand crank freezer,
most cookbooks contained several variations of homemade recipes
by the mid-1800s. |
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Health
warning. 1861 Until the late 1800s there was a distrust of drinking
cold drinks. Mrs Beeton in 1861 warned that the "aged,
the delicate and children should abstain from ices and iced
beverages, even the strong and healthy should partake of them
in moderation". She warned that eating cold treats could
result in indisposition or even "produce illness which
have ended fatally." |
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The
first real evidence of the existence of a form of "ice cream"
originates from China's Tang period ( A.D 618-97). King
Tang of Shang had among his staff 94 ice men who helped to make
a dish of buffalo milk, flour and camphor. |
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Ice
Cream was invented in China in about 200B.C., when soft, milk
and rice mixture was further solidified by packing it in snow. |
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In
Europe, water ices first appeared in the early 1660s in Paris,
Naples, Florence and Spain. |
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The
first documented evidence of ice cream in England was published
in 1672 during the reign of Charles II. At the Feast of St George
in 1671 the only table to be served ices was the King's,
with one plate of white strawberries and one plate of ice cream. |
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Roman
emperors are alleged to have sent slaves to mountain tops to
bring back fresh snow which was then flavoured and served as
an early form of ice cream. |
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Ice
Cream sundaes were created when it became illegal to sell ice
cream with flavoured soda on a Sunday in the American town of
Evanston during the late 19th century. Some traders got round
it by serving it with syrup instead, calling it and "Ice
Cream Sunday" and eventually replacing the final "y"
with an "e" to avoid upsetting religious leaders. |
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The
peach melba was created by Escoffier in 1892 in honour of opera
singer, Nellie Melba |
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'Knickerbocker
glory' refers to the hooped pattern of women's stockings in
the 1930s |
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The
ice cream cone is the most environmentally friendly form of
packaging. A Syrian from Damascus, Ernest E Hamwi is credited
with its invention. Apparently, during the 1904 St Louis World's
Fair, his waffle booth was next to an ice cream vendor who ran
short of dishes. Hamwi rolled a waffle to contain ice cream
and the cone was born. |
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