Why did the ice cream truck break down? Because it was driving down a Rocky Road!
What's your favourite flavour? We scream for ice cream year round, but summer is the best time for a delicious scoop. So where did this sweet treat come from? The answer is that no one really knows. Not only does ice cream have a long list of flavours, it also has a long history.
There are records that people in ancient times enjoyed cold treats. Alexander the Great snacked on snow and ice mixed with honey and nectar. The next time you have a freezie, think of the Roman emperor Nero. He made his servants go to the top of a mountain to gather snow and flavour it with fruit juices.
The explorer Marco Polo travelled through Asia and lived many years in China. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, he brought a recipe back to Europe that's very similar to sherbet. Tools and techniques for making ice cream changed over the course of history. Ice cream continued to evolve through the centuries as a dessert for rich people. Ingredients like sugar, milk, cream, eggs and vanilla were combined.
Early US presidents were big fans of ice cream and it became very popular in America. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Augustus Jackson, a chef at the White House in the 1800s, was called the father of ice cream. He created the modern method of making ice cream by adding salt to the ice to lower the temperature. As for the ice cream cone, it took off at the 1904 World's Fair.
Want to know more about ice cream? Check out these delicious reads that won't cause brain freeze!