History
Though ice cream existed many thousands of years ago, the exact date of its origin or the first innovator of ice cream is not known.
It is said that the first ice creams were found in ancient Persia about 2,500 years ago. The Achaemid Empire was an ancient Persian Empire. History says that ice cream was made here with ice and flavourings.
The Persians also had a special ice cream for Royalty during the hot summers. It was made out of rose water and vermicelli. The ice was mixed with saffron, fruits and other flavourings.
China also lays claim to pioneering ice cream. Historical records show that an ice cream like food was first eaten in China during the period 618-97 A.D.
Gradually, ice cream reached the Roman and Greek Empires and the nobility welcomed the delicious dessert.
Owing to the high cost of producing ice cream only the nobles could afford it at this time.
However, after the fall of the Roman Empire the bringing of ice from the mountains to the cities lying below stopped and ice cream became more and more expensive.
For about a 1,000 years after the fall of the Roman Empire ice cream remained scarce and very expensive. Only the Royalty, the nobility and the very rich could enjoy this delicious dessert.
As Europe started to come out of the Dark Ages ice cream came into being again in Renaissance Italy.
In the 13th and 14th centuries Italy was the centre of trade with the Middle East and Asia. Many new innovations from these areas were introduced to Europe via Italy. Among them were recipes for different types of ice creams.
In 1533, an Italian noble woman, Catherine de Medici went to France to marry the Duke of Orleans. He later became the King of France.
Catherine de Medici introduced to France many new things which had being brought to Italy from the Middle East and Asia. From France they spread to the rest of Europe. Among these were different types of ice cream.
Soon, ice cream became popular among the upper classes like the nobles and rich merchants. With the patronage of the nobles, chefs, innovators and others involved in making ice cream became more and more enthusiastic about producing a variety of ice creams.
Some years after ice cream became popular in Europe, North American street vendors started selling ice cream.
One of the biggest problems faced by the early ice cream manufacturers was the lack of continuous refrigeration. This problem was solved in 1926 with the arrival of electric freezers.
However, it was only after World War 11 that ice cream became highly popular in Europe and North America. Today, the ice cream industry is a billion-dollar industry and is spread worldwide.
Some interesting facts
The Roman Emperor Nero loved ice cream. He established a large chain of runners who brought fresh ice from the mountains to Rome and the big cities. The first frozen dessert is said to have been made for Emperor Nero. It was a mixture of snow, nectar, fruit pulp and honey.
It was the Venetian explorer and traveller, Marco Polo who introduced milk based ice cream to Europe in the late 13th century.
In 1843, Nancy Johnson, a housewife in New England, USA invented the hand cranked ice cream maker.
More ice cream is sold on Sunday than on any other day of the week.
The USA is the biggest manufacturer of ice cream and the largest consumer of the dessert as well. New Zealand is the secomd largest consumer of ice cream and Denmark is the third largest consumer.
The ice cream cone
History says that the ice cream cone was originally created at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, USA. An ice cream vendor didn’t have enough dishes to keep up with demand, so he got together with a waffle vendor who rolled his product into ‘cornucopias’. Thus, the first ice cream cone was born.
Source : Internet