FROZEN  FACTS

Ice Cream Sundaes were created when it became illegal to sell ice cream with flavoured soda on a Sunday in the American town of Evanston during the late 19th century. Some traders got round it by serving it with syrup instead, calling it an ‘Ice Cream Sunday’ and eventually replacing the final ‘y’ with an ‘e’ to avoid upsetting religious leaders. Britain has the third highest consumption of ice cream in Europe at around 8 litres per person per year, but consumption has little connection with sunshine as we fall behind the Danes and the Swedes. None of us match the Americans though, who get through a staggering 21 litres per person each year.

 

Most ice cream contains more milk protein weight for weight than is present in milk itself.

The first real evidence of the existence of a form of ‘ice cream’ originates from China’s Tang period (A.D. 618-97).

King Tang of Shang had among his staff 94 ice men who helped to make a dish based on buffalo milk, flour and camphor.

Hokey Pokey is a traditional name for ice cream and originated from the early ice cream vendors who peddled their wares shouting “Ecco un poco” – try a sample.

Ice cream is now considered a food rather than a hot weather treat as 90% of homes have freezers. In Europe, water ices first appeared in the early 1660’s in Paris, Naples, Florence and Spain and the first documented evidence of ice cream in England was published in 1672 during the reign of Charles II. At the Feast of St George in 1671 the only table to be served ices was the King’s, with one plate of white strawberries and one plate of ice cream.

The people of Scotland and Northern Ireland eat more ice cream on average than those in England and Wales. Surveys have shown that men are more likely to choose ice cream as a dessert than women.

Flavours you’d never have thought of and yet they’re commercially available:
Sorbets – Smoked Salmon, Tomato Ice Creams – Cheese, Chilli.

The ice cream cone is the most environmentally friendly form of packaging. A Syrian from Damascus, Ernest E Hamwi is credited with its invention. Apparently, during the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair, his waffle booth was next to an ice cream vendor who ran short of dishes. Hamwi rolled a waffle to contain ice cream and the cone was born.