According to popular legend, ice cream was invented by the ancient Chinese, brought to Italy by Marco Polo, to France by Catherine de Medici, and thence to America by Thomas Jefferson. The truth, however, about summer’s favorite chilled dairy treat is a bit more difficult to pin down.
Iced drinks and desserts have been around since at least 4000 B.C., when nobles along the Euphrates River built icehouses to take the edge off the Mesopotamian summer heat. Snow, likely used to cool wine, was sold in the streets of Athens in the fifth century B.C., while the Roman emperor Nero (A.D. 37–67) enjoyed iced refreshments laced with honey. Sources from the Tang dynasty in China describe a sweet drink made from iced, camphor-laced water buffalo milk.
The Ice Cream Cone Came Via a Chance Encounter
Turkish Sherbert
Chilled refreshments were also popular in the Islamic world. The English word sherbet comes from the Turkish term for a broad category of sweetened drinks, often cooled with snow from storehouses. Faloodeh, a Persian treat of vermicelli noodles in chilled syrup, dates back centuries. In India, Mughal emperors savored kulfi, a quasi-ice cream made from condensed milk frozen in molds.
Indeed, the first verified records of kulfi are nearly contemporary with the earliest evidence of frozen sherbets and ice creams in Europe. In both cases what made this breakthrough possible was the knowledge (familiar to many in the Arab world since the 13th century) that ice mixed with salt set in motion an exothermic chemical reaction, which created a heat-sucking slurry with a far lower freezing point than typical water. Immersed in a bath of exothermic brine, ice crystals easily formed in various liquid concoctions. Stirred regularly to prevent large ice crystals from forming, a scoop-able frozen foam resulted.
Italian Ices
The first European ice creams and water ices (sherbets) were likely made in Italy during the early 1600s (a century after a teenaged Catherine de Medici departed Florence to become queen of France). Descriptions of water ice desserts date to the 1620s, and by midcentury they were a feature of banquets in Paris, Florence, Naples and Spain. In 1672 Englishman Elias Ashmole recorded that “one plate of ice cream” had been served to King Charles II at a banquet the previous year. In 1694 Antonio Latini, a Neapolitan steward, published a recipe for a milk sorbet laced with candied pumpkin.
The Food That Built America
New episodes of The Food That Built America premiere Sundays at 9/8c and stream the next day.
George Washington Served Ice Cream
Ice cream crossed the Atlantic with the European colonists, and was served by first lady of colonial Maryland as early as 1744. George Washington bought a mechanical ice cream maker for his estate at Mount Vernon in 1784, the same year Thomas Jefferson likely acquired a taste for French ice cream while serving as a diplomat in Paris. While president, Jefferson served ice cream in the executive mansion at least six times. In a lifetime of copious notes and writings, Jefferson only wrote out ten recipes, one of which was for French-style vanilla ice cream, fortified with egg yolks.
By the late-19th century, America was a hotbed of ice cream innovation. A Philadelphia pharmacist mixed the first ice cream soda in 1874. The ice cream sundae dates to 1881 (with several Midwestern towns claiming to be the site of its invention)—its name likely coming from “blue laws” that banned sale of soda drinks on Sundays. The first edible ice cream cups were patented in the 1880s, around the time that milkshakes—originally promoted as a health drink—became popular.
The waffle cone rocketed to fame when introduced at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, and the Popsicle was patented in 1923. Both Dairy Queen and the Carvel company claim to have developed the first soft-serve ice cream in the mid-1930s, while frozen yogurt was a latecomer, introduced in the 1970s.
Today ice cream and its frigid cousins are known and loved worldwide, even imported to Antarctica, where a Frosty Boy soft-serve machine is a famous focal point for the scientists who work at McMurdo Station.
Why Ice Cream Soared in Popularity During ProhibitionNo beer? No problem. Better refrigeration, together with innovations in making and selling frozen treats, helped steer people toward this 'refreshing and palatable food.'Read more
Frozen History: The Story of the PopsicleThe mastermind behind this summer indulgence wasn’t a marketing honcho, or even a chef—it was an 11‑year‑old boy.Read more
How the 1904 World’s Fair Showcased New American FoodsPeanut butter. Ice cream cones. Cotton candy. The 1904 St. Louis exposition popularized some of America’s favorite foods.Read more
FAQs
An ice-cream-like food was first eaten in China in 618-97AD. King Tang of Shang, had 94 ice men who helped to make a dish of buffalo milk, flour and camphor. A kind of ice-cream was invented in China about 200 BC when a milk and rice mixture was frozen by packing it into snow.
Who invented ice cream in history? ›
The earliest record of ice cream – or at least its closest resemblance – was during the Achaemenid Empire in 500 BC, during the reign of Cyrus the Great in Persia (which is now known as the country of Iran in the Middle East). Back then, sweetened ice was crushed and mixed with flavors, fruits, and various toppings.
Did Philadelphia invent ice cream? ›
Ice cream is complicated. We love it. We didn't invent it in America, but we eat it more than any other nation on earth. We perfected it right here in Philadelphia, and made it available to the masses.
Who invented ice cream black history? ›
Augustus Jackson (April 16, 1808 – January 11, 1852), was an African American businessperson, chef, ice cream maker, and confectioner from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is credited as inventing a modern method of manufacturing ice cream and for new flavor development.
Did the Chinese invent ice cream? ›
The ancient Chinese planted the first seeds of modern-day ice cream, but it was the Italians who nurtured it into what we know today. It took more than 3,000 years for Chinese milk ice to reach Italian shores, and once it did, Italian nobles kept the recipe for milk ice a closely guarded secret.
Who is the father of ice cream? ›
Augustus Jackson was dubbed the Father of Ice Cream because he revolutionized the ice cream making process. He was the first one who used salt to make the ice melt slower. His ice cream making process and recipes revolutionized ice cream in Philadelphia.
Who made the first soft ice cream? ›
In 1938, near Moline, Illinois, J. F. McCullough and his son, Alex, developed their soft-serve formula. Their first sales experiment was on August 4, 1938, in Kankakee, Illinois, at the store of their friend, Sherb Noble.
What is the oldest ice cream in America? ›
A fifth-generation family business in Philadelphia, Bassetts Ice Cream is proudly known as America's oldest ice cream company.
What did Philly invent? ›
Philadelphians invented Girl Scout Cookies, bubblegum, the American schoolhouse, the computer — and the research that led to Covid-19 vaccines. Here are ways to celebrate the many firsts from our city on the first of this new year. In 1751, Benjamin Franklin and Dr.
Did Martha Washington invent ice cream? ›
Martha Washington did not invent ice cream any more than Jefferson or Dolley Madison, but she served it at Mount Vernon. The Washingtons acquired a “cream machine for ice” in 1784, the year George directed his estate manager to build an icehouse on his estate.
In Europe and early America, ice cream was made and sold by small businesses, mostly confectioners and caterers. Jacob Fussell of Baltimore, Maryland was the first to manufacture ice cream on a large scale.
When was the first ice cream man? ›
No one knows for sure who the first ice cream truck driver was, but they may have been an employee of Harry Burt from Youngstown, Ohio. In 1920, Mr. Burt developed frozen ice cream on a stick and called it the Good Humor® bar. To promote his creation, he used a dozen trucks driven by people in white uniforms.
Who discovered ice cream first? ›
The origins of ice cream, sorbet and other chilled dairy treats are difficult to pin down—but span back to antiquity. According to popular legend, ice cream was invented by the ancient Chinese, brought to Italy by Marco Polo, to France by Catherine de Medici, and thence to America by Thomas Jefferson.
Who brought ice cream to America? ›
Ice cream's origins
But it was British confectioner Philip Lenzi who introduced ice cream to America. In 1774, Lenzi put an ad in the New York Gazette announcing that he would make ice cream available to the masses. It didn't it take long to sweep the (soon-to-be) nation.
Who invented sherbet? ›
In fact, some sources state that the first sorbet dates all the way back to 3000 BC, and eventually evolved into what we enjoy today. In medieval times, the Arabs drank a chilled beverage called “sherbet,” or “sharabt” in Arabic. These cool drinks were frequently flavored with cherry or pomegranate.
History of Ice Cream - Ice Cream AllianceIce Cream Alliancehttps://ice-cream.org ›
Legend has all sorts of fanciful stories about Marco Polo bringing ice cream from China and Catherine de' Medici introducing it to France and King Charles I...
We all love ice cream. But have you ever stopped to think where this tasty frozen treat actually came from? Read and learn about the history of ice cream.
It can be hard to separate ice cream fact from folklore. We tapped food historians to find out who really invented ice cream.
The origins of paleterias can be traced back to the ancient Aztecs, who were known for their love of ice cream-like desserts made with fruit and honey. These desserts, which were known as "ates," were made by freezing fruit juice or fruit puree in molds made of clay or wood.
Who were the first people to eat ice cream? ›
Humans first evolved in Africa, and much of human evolution occurred on that continent. The fossils of early humans who lived between 6 and 2 million years ago come entirely from Africa. Most scientists currently recognize some 15 to 20 different species of early humans.
Did Romans have ice cream? ›
No, they never had it so good – the art of ice cream-making never developed into “real ice cream” during Roman times. The best frozen treat Emperor Augustus and his contemporaries could hope for was probably more similar to slush puppies.
Is ice cream an Italian invention? ›
Ice cream was invented in Italy by architect Bernardo Buontalenti at the court of Catherine de' Medici in Florence.
