Ice Cream's Tasty History in the USA

Americans sure love their ice cream. Well, apparently not as much as New Zealand, it seems. Still, this frozen treat is a favorite among 96% of the population, though this wasn’t always the case. In fact, ice cream went through a long and tedious history in the United States that many consumers aren’t aware of till this day. From the delicious backstories of milkshakes and malts to ice cream sodas and cones, here are some of ice cream’s tastiest history in the USA that you need to know about.\r \r 1. It Started as a Food for the Wealthy\r \r Today ice cream is produced by the gallons and is available to anyone who wants to munch on some. But for people of the mid-18th century, this was a rather rare treat, especially for the less well-off. For nearly a century, only the rich were able to get their hands on this sweet dessert as sugar was quite a luxury that only a few Americans could afford. They especially loved eating ice cream during the warmer weather to cool off, just like we do now. The first ice cream factory wasn’t built until 1851 in Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania.\r \r 2. America is the Second Largest Consumer of Ice Cream in the World (Per Capita)\r \r From a coveted dessert reserved only for the wealthy, to a simple treat enjoyed by the common man, ice cream in America certainly has come a long way. Now that the entire population is in the elite’s little secret, the consumption of ice cream has skyrocketed to an average 20 liters of ice cream per person every year. You’d think that America would be in the lead, but that spot is claimed by New Zealand, whose average is just over 28 liters per person. Not to mention that they love vanilla over there, while Americans prefer chocolate.\r \r 3. The Ice Cream Cone Became Popular in the Early 20th Century\r \r Edible containers for ice cream were actually commonplace during the mid-19th century, back when they were known as cornets in French cookbooks. Another predecessor is the “hokey-pokey” which is an Italian recipe of corn starch and sugar, blended with water then frozen. So the ice cream cone was already well known but it didn’t blow up until the St. Louis Exposition in 1904 where a wide range of new industrial and commercial products were displayed, including edible ice cream dishes and their equally edible containers.\r \r 4. The Ice Cream Soda Was Invented in 1874\r \r There are many tall tales surrounding the invention of the ice cream soda, all an exaggeration of the real story. But the most popular one involves Robert McKay Green, a vendor of carbonated beverages, who apparently replaced his dwindling supply of ice with cream to cool his drinks. This too is mostly false. Green himself admitted that he was already experimenting with different soda/ice cream combinations well before the 1874 Franklin Institute Celebration in Philadelphia. Though he did in fact invent ice cream soda, just not the way that most people believe.\r \r 5. Milkshakes and Malts Evolved from the Ice Cream Soda\r \r And thanks to ice cream soda, we have milkshakes and malts. Early versions of milkshakes were nothing more than milk floats with ice cream floating in a glass of milk flavored with syrup. While malted milk was an entirely different beverage which featured flavored milk fortified with malted milk powder. But the first milkshake didn’t come into existence until 1922, when a soda jerk added ice cream to their malted milk beverage and blended it up.