History of Ice Cream

Tracing the history of ice cream is not an easy task; there is confusion about when and where it originated and who invented it.
The history of ice cream itself can be traced much further back, to the Roman Empire, China, and India. Ice cream was introduced to England in the 17th century and to America in the 18th. It seems to have been called "iced cream" at first (1673), in line with such expressions as iced tea and iced coffee, which we still use, but the form "ice cream" has taken over.
What we do know, however, is that in Sicily the Arabs took snow from mount Etna and mixed it with fruit juice to make the first semi-solid iced drink. Nerone too, had his slaves bring snow to Rome from the mountains, sweetening it with fruit and honey. However, ice cream as we know it today dates from the XVI century, the credit for its invention often going to Bernardo Buontalenti, a native of Florence, who delighted the court of Caterina de' Medici with his creation.

Italians are certainly credited with introducing ice cream to the rest of Europe; with their creativity they perfected recipes, and soon developed essentially new machines for its production.
Sicilian born Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli was undoubtedly one of the most influential individuals in the history of ice cream, as one of the first to sell it to the public. He was summoned to Paris, where in 1686 he opened a café named after himself, "Café Procope", which quickly became one of the most celebrated haunts of the literary establishment in France. In Italy meanwhile, the art of traditional ice cream making was passed on from father to son, improved and perfected right up to the second half of the 20th century, when many ice cream makers (especially from the Veneto region) began to emigrate, taking their know-how to the rest of Europe.

Here are some dates that are particularly relevant to the history of ice cream:
- 1559: Ice cream appears in Italy as ice and salt are discovered to make a freezing combination.
- 1782: Ice cream is served at a Philadelphia party given by the French envoy to honour the new American republic.
- 1846: A portable hand-cranked ice cream freezer is invented by Nancy Johnson in New Jersey.
- 1851: The first wholesale ice cream business is founded by Baltimore milk dealer Jacob Fussell who receives milk in steady supply but is faced with a problem of erratic demand. Fussell sells his ice cream at less than half the price charged by others.
- 1904: The ice cream cone is introduced at the St. Louis fair by Syrian immigrant pastry maker Ernest A. Hamwi who sells wafer-like Zalabia pastry at a fairground concession, serving them with sugar and other sweets. When a neighboring ice cream stand runs out of dishes, Hamwi rolls some of his wafers into cornucopias, lets them cool, and sells them to the ice cream concessionaire. But an ice cream cone mold patent has been issued earlier in the year to Italian immigrant Italo Marchiony who claims he has been making ice cream cones since 1896; other claimants challenge Hamwi's right to call himself the ice cream cone originator.
- 1930: Dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) is introduced commercially in the United States for purposes such as keeping ice cream cold.

Ice cream is without doubt the best known dessert in the world today, and in Australia, America, Asia ice cream is a family favourite with various products available in every supermarket, corner store and service station. In the past 10 years we have seen a huge number new kinds of ice creams appear.

From The Cow To The Cone: How Ice Cream Is Made*

Everybody has a favorite flavor or brand of ice cream, and the debate over whose ice cream is the best rages on each year. While each manufacturer develops its own special recipes, ice cream production basics are basically the same everywhere.

The most important ice cream ingredients come from milk. The dairy ingredients are crucial in determining the characteristics of the final frozen product. Federal regulations state that ice cream must have at least 10% milkfat, the single most critical ingredient. The use of varying percentages of milkfat affects the palatability, smoothness, color, texture and food value of the finished product. Gourmet or superpremium ice creams contain at least 12% milkfat, usually more.

Ice cream contains nonfat solids (the non-fat, protein part of the milk), which contribute nutritional value (protein, calcium, minerals and vitamins). Nonfat dry milk, skim milk and whole milk are the usual sources of nonfat solids.

The sweeteners used in ice cream vary from cane or beet sugar to corn sweeteners or honey. Stabilizers, such as plant derivatives, are commonly used in small amounts to prevent the formation of large ice crystals and to make a smoother ice cream. Emulsifiers, such as lecithin and mono- and diglycerides, are also used in small amounts. They provide uniform whipping qualities to the ice cream during freezing, as well as a smoother and drier body and texture in the frozen form.

These basic ingredients are agitated and blended in a mixing tank. The mixture is then pumped into a pasteurizer, where it is heated and held at a predetermined temperature. The hot mixture is then "shot" through a homogenizer, where pressure of 2,000 to 2,500 pounds per square inch breaks the milkfat down into smaller particles, allowing the mixture to stay smooth and creamy. The mix is then quick-cooled to about 40°F and frozen via the "continuous freezer" method (the "batch freezer" method) that uses a steady flow of mix that freezes a set quantity of ice cream one batch at a time.

During freezing, the mix is aerated by "dashers," revolving blades in the freezer. The small air cells that are incorporated by this whipping action prevent ice cream from becoming a solid mass of frozen ingredients. The amount of aeration is called "overrun," and is limited by the federal standard that requires the finished product must not weigh less than 4.5 pounds per gallon.

The next step is the addition of bulky flavorings, such as fruits, nuts and chocolate chips. The ingredients are either "dropped" or "shot" into the semi-solid ice cream after it leaves the freezer.
After the flavoring additions are completed, the ice cream can be packaged in a variety of containers, cups or molds. It is moved quickly to a "hardening room," where sub-zero temperatures freeze the product to its final state for storage and distribution.