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.
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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 actually invented ice cream? ›
The earliest record of ice cream – or at least its closest resemblance – was during the Achaemenid Empire in 500 BC, during the reign of Cyrus the Great in Persia (which is now known as the country of Iran in the Middle East). Back then, sweetened ice was crushed and mixed with flavors, fruits, and various toppings.
Who invented ice cream China or Italy? ›
The ancient Chinese planted the first seeds of modern-day ice cream, but it was the Italians who nurtured it into what we know today. It took more than 3,000 years for Chinese milk ice to reach Italian shores, and once it did, Italian nobles kept the recipe for milk ice a closely guarded secret.
Who brought ice cream to America? ›
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. It didn't it take long to sweep the (soon-to-be) nation.
Who first thought of ice cream? ›
It has often been said that the Chinese invented ice cream and that marco polo brought the idea to Europe in the thirteenth century. This is more myth than historical fact backed by evidence but it can be sated with some confidence that ice cream was invented in China in the first milenium.
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 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.
What was the first country to have ice cream? ›
It is believed that ice cream as the world knows it now was an Italian creation – yet a 12th century Chinese ode, written by poet Yang Wanli in praise of an icy, crunchy refreshment that “appears congealed and yet it seems to float”, suggests something similar was being enjoyed in China as early as the ninth century.
Which country consumes the most ice cream? ›
Ice cream consumption by country is measured in liters per person.
- New Zealand tops the list of ice cream eaters at 28.40 liters per person. ...
- People in the United States consume about 20.80 liters of ice cream a year, which is the equivalent of over 5 gallons of ice cream per American.
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.
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?
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 was the first black person to make ice cream? ›
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.
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.
Is ice cream healthy? ›
At the moment, we simply don't have enough good quality evidence to suggest that ice cream definitely has any health benefits. But a couple of small portions a week – paired with an otherwise healthy diet and exercise regime – is unlikely to do much harm.
Why do they call it 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.
Did Philadelphia invent ice cream? ›
Ice cream is complicated. We love it. We didn't invent it in America, but we eat it more than any other nation on earth. We perfected it right here in Philadelphia, and made it available to the masses.
Did Vikings have ice cream? ›
In China and Eastern Asia, the dessert was enhanced with water, buffalo milk and flour. Eventually, they began incorporating sweet juices and sweetened condensed milk. The Vikings put their own twist on things by adding fresh cheese to the mix, which made their version of ice cream more like a yogurt.
When was the first ice cream man? ›
No one knows for sure who the first ice cream truck driver was, but they may have been an employee of Harry Burt from Youngstown, Ohio. In 1920, Mr. Burt developed frozen ice cream on a stick and called it the Good Humor® bar. To promote his creation, he used a dozen trucks driven by people in white uniforms.
How did they make ice cream in the 1700s? ›
By mixing ice with saltpeter (or indeed common salt) and placing a container of water or wine in the ice, one could freeze the contents of the container. By rotating the container, one could stir the liquid and keep its texture even without freezing it solid.
