Ice cream is the perfect summer treat that people continue to enjoy year round. Listed are 12 cool facts about ice cream (pun intended):
The history of ice cream is shrouded in mystery. No one knows when it truly originated, but Ancient Greeks and Romans are said to have enjoyed a treat similar to ice cream. Roman Emperor Nero liked mixing snow with fruit and honey, which seems to resemble early ice cream. The next time it is heard of, Spanish and Portuguese explorers are credited for bringing ice cream recipes to the New World.
Chocolate ice cream was actually invented first. Vanilla ice cream came after chocolate did even though vanilla is often used as a base for other ice cream flavors. This is because ice cream originated from flavors and drinks, and chocolate was a common drink flavor.
The amount of licks it takes to finish a single scoop cone may surprise you! It’s been tested and the answer is 50 licks. Surprising, because ice cream is just so good – it should be less!
Like most iconic foods, waffle cones were invented by accident! A 1904 ice cream vendor at a fair ran out of cones, so he collaborated with the waffle vendor booth neighbor to create cones out of molded and wrapped waffles, and so the waffle ice cream cone was born.
Here are some cool statistics about ice cream- vanilla is the #1 ice cream flavor in America. Americans also have about 48 pints of ice cream a year, and around 87% of Americans will have ice cream in their freezer at any time. The state that produces the most ice cream is California!
The world record holder for most scoops of ice cream on an ice cream cone was verified by the Guinness World Records. His name is Dimitri Panciera, and he scooped 121 individual scoops on his cone.
Ice cream was not always a treat enjoyed by the masses. In fact, ice cream used to be reserved for the nobility. Only the upperclassmen and rich could afford the ingredients and storage for cold food. Up until the 1880s, ice cream was actually a lavish dessert!
There is an official argument over which city is the home of the first invented ice cream sundae. The cities of Ithaca, New York, Evanston, Illinois, and Two Rivers, Wisconsin both lay claims to inventing the treat, and even argued directly between each other to hold on to the status as “home of the ice cream sundae.”
Milk is the main ingredient in ice cream – it actually takes 3 gallons of milk to make one gallon of ice cream. In fact, 9% of all milk is used for the production and manufacturing of ice cream!
A common effect of eating ice cream is the dreaded “brain freeze.” This occurs when the cold sensors of your mouth are overwhelmed, and send a message of heat loss to the brain which triggers the discomfort. Luckily, there is an easy cure – place your tongue to the roof of your mouth to calm the affected nerves.
