As we suffer from soaring temperatures and merciless humidity, there seems to be no refuge for our overheated lives. Since we can’t cool down the outside, a chilly interior is the next best thing. Ice cream makes people feel more comfortable and carefree; it’s hard to resist. With hundreds of variations to choose from, the hardest thing about eating ice cream is which flavor to pick. National favorites include vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, chocolate chip cookie dough, and mint chocolate chip. There even exist some horrific flavors like garlic, pizza, and mustard! Setting that thought aside, ice cream has been the “go to” food of choice for Americans nationwide since the colonial era.
How It Got
Here
One might think that ice cream was only
available to the public once freezers were invented; after all, how can you make
ice cream without the ice? The truth is, though, ice cream has been popular for
over a thousand years.
Together with
other products like paper, gunpowder, and tea, China is credited with being the
first to create ice cream. Emperors of the Tang Dynasty, approximately 600 to 900
CE, enjoyed frozen milk confections, and Marco Polo is recognized as the one
who brought the idea back to Italy.
In 1553, France
was introduced to ice cream by the Italian Catherine de Medici when she married
King Henry II. Ice cream historians (yes, that is a real thing) credit French
immigrants with bringing the frozen delight to the American colonies. In fact,
our first president was a huge fan of ice cream as evidenced in numerous
letters written by his guests who mentioned the delicacy. Although originally
an exclusive item for the wealthy classes, who could afford such luxuries, it
became popular in the colonies once the recipe for it appeared in a cookbook in
1751.
Throughout the
1800s, huge blocks of ice were harvested from lakes in the winter and stored in
cellars, packed with sawdust and straw for the warmer months ahead. As it
became more available, ice cream socials became popular in America as a means
to welcome new members to a community or just as a neighborhood event. The
first recorded evidence of one was when Maryland governor Thomas Bladen served
ice cream at a dinner party in 1744.
During World War
II, different branches of the military competed with one another in terms of
how much ice cream they gave their men, and the first floating ice cream parlor
was opened in 1945 for sailors in the Western Pacific. In 1984, President
Ronald Reagan declared the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day.
(This should not be confused with National Ice Cream Flavor Day, which is
celebrated on July 1, or National Ice Cream Cone Day, which is found on
September 22.)
Over the past few
centuries, ice cream has found its way into the hearts of the U.S. population.
It is a food for celebration, as well as consolation. The American Dairy Foods
Association published that, in 2021, Americans consumed around 23 gallons of
ice cream per person! The United States currently consumes more ice cream than
any other nation, with Wisconsin taking the lead among the 50 states.
How It
Works
Ice cream is not
made by simply placing cream in the freezer (if only it were that simple!).
Rather, it consists of five components, combined to form frozen bliss:
Firstly, ice
crystals give the cold treat its solid form. The smaller the crystals, the more
creamy it will be.
Fats enhance the
taste and smooth texture. This is the reason why people will often notice that
parve ice creams have a coarser texture than their dairy counterparts. The lack
of fat from milk deprives the dessert of its density and though still
satisfying is not a substitute for the real thing. (Non-dairy ice cream does
fulfill a vital role, however, in supplying happiness to tens of thousands who
are lactose intolerant. It also offers a true oneg Shabbos after lunch during Baltumore’s hot, humid summers.)
Sweeteners like
sugars, honeys, and syrups serve a deeper purpose than just enhancing the
taste. They also lower the ice cream’s freezing point so that it doesn’t become
rock hard in the freezer. Reducing the sweetness of ice cream therefore cuts
into its stability and softness.
Other solids, such
as chocolate chips, crushed cookie bits, and nuts, add a variety of flavors and
limit the amount of free roaming water in the final product. These additions
effectively reduce the formation of large ice crystals, keeping the texture
smooth and creamy.
Air fills the
delicately balanced molecular structure of ice cream, providing its light, fluffy
composition. When ice cream melts, the tiny air bubbles can no longer be
contained. Once they escape, attempting to refreeze the sad, soupy puddle will
result in something harder and more dense than it was before. You can still eat
it, but it will lack its former soft, creamy texture.
Once all of the
ingredients are combined, the mixture is pasteurized (a process that uses high
temperatures to destroy any bacteria present). It is then homogenized
(essentially further stirring the mixture), which continues to distribute the
various molecules evenly throughout the ice cream. After it is frozen, the icy
treat is ready to be enjoyed.
How It
Hurts
Occasionally, a headache
suddenly develops when your are innocently trying to enjoy a delicious frozen
dessert. “Brain freeze” is very real and very frustrating. It occurs when
something cold touches the roof of your mouth suddenly or for too long. It is
thought to be caused by the quick constriction of the blood vessels in the
upper palate. Children are more likely to freeze their brains because they
haven’t yet mastered the ability of making a treat last by savoring it slowly.
The treatment is
to loosen the blood vessels by warming them back up again. You can cure brain
freeze by drinking warm water or by placing your thumb against the roof of your
mouth. The second method may not be as polite, but it does work faster to
alleviate the pressure from the headache.
How It’s
Held
Barring some
individuals who may subconsciously suffer from fear of dripping ice cream, it’s
hard to imagine a time before the cone. The crunchy container was not invented
until hundreds of years after the frozen treat and, it is thought, quite by
accident. Visitors on an unseasonably hot day at the 1904 World’s Fair in St.
Louis were desperate for relief. Unfortunately underestimating the waves of
customers, the ice cream sellers ran out of cups. Searching for a solution, our
hero saw a nearby vendor selling soft, waffle pastries. Working together, they
quickly filled rolled-up waffles with ice cream and made a slick profit. The
public responded so positively to this new edible container that numerous
patents were filed soon after the World’s Fair for “waffle-rolling machines,”
and many take the credit for having been the first to create the cone.
This fascinating
story of invention and innovation is most likely false. A method of eating ice
cream from an edible holder, thereby eliminating the need for bowls or cups,
already existed and actual pictures from the 1904 World’s Fair reveal visitors
holding cones that appear to have been crafted in advance, rather than hastily
put together in a spontaneous moment of inspiration.
Whether the story
is true or false, though, the pleasure of holding a cone continues to appeal to
young and old alike. As the temperatures rise, treat yourself to something
special. You deserve it. And you don’t even have to choose between your
favorite flavors – just get two scoops!
Debbie
Glazer lives in Pikesville with her husband and seven children and teaches
Language Arts in Bnos Yisroel High School. She can often be found either
writing or reading and loves to share her passion for the written word with
others.
