The History of Ice Cream
We have all enjoyed ice cream since we were kids, but have you ever
wondered about how it first came into being?
Many believe the first homemade ice cream recipe dates back to China
in 618 AD. Some say making ice cream started well before that with the
early Romans; and others give the credit for homemade ice cream to the
chef of England’s King Charges I. Regardless of where or when it was
invented, ice cream has been a favorite for centuries. No doubt, ice
cream was one of the first things introduced by the pilgrims after their
arrival in the western hemisphere. Historical accounts of colonial New
York reveal that ice cream was being made and sold by street vendors in
the 18th Century.
While the debate over the invention of ice cream continues, the
earliest documented treat that combined milk and ice dates back to King
Tang in China who apparently experimented with the chilly delight around
618 AD. While his concoction was not ice cream as we know it today,
legend has it that Marco Polo carried some back to Europe. However,
there is no historical evidence that the ice treat made the journey
along with other Marco Polo’s other exotic Asian finds such as silk,
spices and tea.
The earliest evidence of ice cream being available in Europe is found
in vintage 17th and 18th century cook books from England and France
which described various methods for making homemade ice cream.
Maryland’s Governor Bladen served ice cream to his guests in 1700.
The world’s first ice cream parlor was opened in New York in 1776. Nancy
Johnson is credited with inventing the first hand cranked ice cream
churn in 1843. She patented her invention in 1846, but did not have the
resources to mass produce the machine. In 1847, a wholesaler in
Philadelphia purchased her patent. Four years later, Jacob Fussell
opened the first commercial ice cream plant in Baltimore. The ice cream
cone was not introduced until the early 1900s when a New York street
vendor by the name of Italo Marchiony grew weary of customers walking
way with the glasses he served the ice cream in or breaking them. To cut
his losses, he invented the waffle cone. The cake like cone was so
successful that he got a patent for it in 1903.
The final breakthrough for mass production of ice cream came about
with the invention of the freezer in 1926. With this, retail sales of
ice cream increased and so did the number of ice cream parlors. For the
first time, ice cream was available in grocery stores. It was no longer
necessary to go out for ice cream because the freezer made it possible
for consumers to buy ice cream while grocery shopping and have it at
home whenever they wanted to. |
