by Mary Eccher - page 1 of 4
Though ice cream is widely regarded as America's national dessert, its origin stretches back at least to the Roman Empire. Nero Claudius Caesar, Emperor of Rome, employed swift runners to bring him mountain snow, which was then mixed at his palace with fruits --- the first water ices. In the 13th century, Marco Polo, included recipes for frozen milk desserts among the treasures he brought back from China. From this beginning, the idea of ice cream spread from Italy into France and from there to the English court. In the western hemisphere, Montezuma reportedly enjoyed ice cream in the period before Cortez. The first recorded evidence of ice cream in Colonial America appeared in a letter written after a dinner at the home of Govenor Williams of Maryland in the early 1700s. Historians have revealed that such personages as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Dolly Madison enjoyed the frosty treat.
The first ice-cream parlors were opened in New York in the late 18th century. Through all this time ice cream had been frozen by hand by shaking a covered metal can contained in an ice-filled bucket. It was not until 1846 that Nancy Johnson divised a freezer using a crank and a dasher. Her invention made commercial ice-cream production possible. From then on the popularity of ice cream grew unchecked.
The ice-cream soda was introduced at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1879. Robert M. Green, a concessionaire at the celebration, ran out of cream, which was used in preparing a popular drink at the time, a mixture of sweet cream, syrup, and carbonated water, so he substituted vanilla ice cream. The ice-cream soda was an instant success.
The ice-cream sundaes appeared in the late 1890s and became popular around the turn of the century. During this period in American history, the sale of soda wa prohibited in many places on Sundays, hence the name "Sunday" or "Sodaless Soda." The "y" evolved to "ae" as religous groups criticized the sacrilegious use of the name of the Sabbath.
The ice-cream cone first made its dripping debut at the St. Louis World's fair in 1904.
Whether stacked on a cone, scooped in a sundae, or served spectacularly in a flaming baked Alaska --- ice cream is just plain fun!
I Scream, You Scream,
We All Scream for Ice Cream
You don't have to be a child to enjoy these taste-tempting treats --- everyone loves ice cream!
SEPTEMBER 1985
Old Photo by Mary Eccher
Handcrafted Collectible Dollhouse Scale Miniature Foods, Beverages and Accessories
IGMA ARTISAN
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I will celebrate your life for the rest of mine....
