On National Ice Cream Day, an Exploration of the Dessert’s Long History and Three Recipes

Ice cream is a favorite the world over. With a long, fascinating history and myriad ways of making it, here’s all you need to know about ice cream.

Although there’s no specific inventor or place of origin for ice cream, the idea of frozen desserts has been around for a long time. In the 5th-century BC, snow was sold on the streets of Athens, likely used to cool wines. Alexander the Great enjoyed honey and nectar flavored snow and ice. Part of the Roman Empire, Nero Claudius Caesar often sent people to the mountains to collect snow, which was then flavored with fruits and juices and consumed by him. Records reveal that in China’s Tang dynasty, a popular drink was made of buffalo milk and ice, and laced with camphor water.

Several centuries later, when Marco Polo returned to Italy, he brought with him a recipe that closely resembles modern day sherbets. Some historians believe that this recipe then evolved into ice cream around the 16th century. Around this time, in 1553 France, Henry II’s Italian wife Catherine de Medici introduced a similar frozen dessert to them. The general public were made aware about this dessert around 1660. In England, in the 17th century, ‘cream ice’ was regularly served to Charles I.

In the New World, an advertisement for ice cream appeared in the New York Gazette on 12 May 1777, as confectioner Philip Lenzi declared that ice cream was available almost every day. The records kept by a merchant of New York show that President George Washington spent around $200 on ice cream during the summer of 1790. And inventory records after the President’s death reveal “two pewter ice cream pots”. Later, President Thomas Jefferson is said to have an 18-step recipe for an ice cream like dish, resembling the modern-day Baked Alaska.

Ice cream was for the elite until around the 1800s, when insulated ice houses were created. Soon, ice cream manufacturing became a fledgling industry in America. Technological innovations like mechanical refrigeration and electric motors further fuelled the industry. Ice cream became a way of boosting morale during the Second World War. After the war ended, the dairy product rationing was lifted, and in 1946, Americans consumed 20 quarts of ice cream per person. Today, we all know, ice cream is a global phenomenon. One will be hard pressed to find a place that does not have ice cream.

Here’s a simple vanilla ice cream recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 vanilla bean
• 4 egg yolks

Directions:

• Fill a bowl with ice cubes and a cup of water. Place a smaller bowl inside the ice bath, and place a strainer in the bowl above. Set aside.
• In a pan, add the milk, cream, ½ cup sugar, salt, vanilla seeds and vanilla pod. Stir occasionally on medium heat. Set aside.
• In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the remaining sugar. Transfer half of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk continuously. Transfer this back into the pan.
• Cook until it's thick enough that it coats the back of a spoon. But make sure it doesn’t come to a boil.
• Strain the mixture through a strainer into the ice bath. Discard the vanilla bean pod.
• Let the custard cool in the ice bath, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate the custard for 4-6 hours or overnight.
• Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze until it's firm.

And here’s a few ways of making ice cream without a machine:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

• In a bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Add the condensed milk, vanilla and any other toppings or bites you want.
• Pour into a container and seal. Freeze for 6-8 hours or until firm. Serve chilled.

And another recipe not requiring a machine:

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups whole milk
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt

Directions:

• In a bowl, whip the milk and sugar until the sugar is fully dissolved.
• Add the cream, vanilla and salt, and mix. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until chilled.
• Remove and vigorously stir the mixture. Return to the freezer. Do this every 30 minutes, stirring and freezing. Repeat the process for 3 hours, or until the mixture is completely frozen.
• Serve chilled.