Revisit the

History of America's

Favorite Treat!

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class="date">1693

Invention of Chocolate Ice Cream

Chocolate ice cream is the first of our modern flavors to be created in Naples,Italy. The earliest frozen recipe is recorded in Antonio Latini’s “The Modern Steward”.

Fun Fact!

In 1775, Italian doctor Filippo Baldini wrote a treatise entitled De sorbetti, in which he recommended chocolate ice cream as a remedy for various medical conditions, including gout and scurvy.

class="date">1780s

Invention of Vanilla Ice Cream

Vanilla ice cream, the world’s most popular ice cream flavor, s created in France. While living in Paris, Thomas Jefferson stumbles upon the recipe and brings the recipe to the US. Jefferson then created a recipe of his own.

Fun Fact!

This flavor was once considered “rare” and “exotic.

class="date">1813

Invention of Strawberry Ice Cream

1st dated record of strawberry ice cream.

Fun Fact!

It was served at the 2nd Inauguration of James Madison.

class="date">mid-late-1800s

Neapolitan

Neapolitan ice cream (originally Spumoni) was invented and released to the public. It was most popular after being introduced by Italian ice cream maker Giuseppe Tortoni. The ice cream was brought to America in the 1870s by Italian immigrants. Neapolitan ice cream is made of separate blocks of three different flavors. The most common pairing is chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

Fun Fact!

The earliest Neapolitan ice cream consisted of pistachio, vanilla, and cherry to resemble the Italian flag.

class="date">1840

Churn

Nancy Johnson invented the first hand-cranked model in 1843. She then sold the patent to William Young.

Fun Fact!

William Young marketed the machine as the "Johnson Patent Ice-Cream Freezer".

class="date">1881

Sundae

The ice cream sundae is created. It was invented in response to soda being prohibitedon Sundays.

Fun Fact!

Three states and three"inventors" argue over who invented it first. There is no documented evidence to prove anyone right.

class="date">1886

Fudge

Fudge was first sold at a Baltimore grocery store for 40 cents a pound.Fun Fact: Before 1886, the origin and history offudge is unclear, but Fudge is thought to be an American invention.

Fun Fact!

Most believe the first batch was a result of a accidental “fudged” batch of caramels, hence the name “fudge”.

class="date">1897

Scooper

While working as a drugstore porter in Pittsburgh, Alfred L. Cralle noticed that the popular treat of ice cream was sticking to spoons, making it difficult to serve to customers. He decided to design an implement that would keep the ice cream from sticking and be easy to use with one hand.

Fun Fact!

Originally known as an “ice cream mould and disher,” Cralle, an African-American, received a patent for his invention in 1897.

class="date">1899-1

Cookbook

Almeda Lambert of Battle the earliest known nondairy ice cream recipes in her book titled “Guide for Nut Cookery”.

Fun Fact!

A few of her recipes included ice cream made of almond or peanut cream/milk.

class="date">1899-2

Ice Cream Sandwich

According to the book Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making by Jeri Quinzio, the ice cream sandwich was created in 1899 by an unknown pushcart peddler in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City. The treat was revolutionary not only because it was hand-held and portable, but also because the heat from the hands helped to soften the ice cream, making it easier to eat.

Fun Fact!

These sandwiches consisted of vanilla ice cream pressed between two thin graham wafers. The early predecessor to the ice cream sandwich was a slice of vanilla ice cream cut from a larger slab known as an “okey-pokey” that was sold by street vendors in London.

class="date">1904

Cone

The first ice cream cone was produced in 1896 by Italian immigrant Italo Marchiony in New York City. He was granted a patent in December 1903. Although Marchiony is credited with the invention of the cone, a similar creation was also introduced at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair by Ernest A. Hamwi, a Syrian concessionaire.

Fun Fact!

Hamwi was selling a crisp, waffle-like pastry -- zalabis -- in a booth right next to an ice cream vendor. Because of ice cream's popularity, the vendor ran out of dishes. Hamwi quickly rolled one of his wafer-like waffles in the shape of a cone, or cornucopia, and gave it to the ice cream vendor. Once the cone cooled, ice cream was placed in and received a lot of positive reviews.

class="date">1904

Banana Split

David Evans Strickler, a man who enjoyed inventing sundaes at the store's soda fountain, invented the banana-based triple ice cream sundae.

Fun Fact!

Strickler was a 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist at Tassel Pharmacy, located at 805 Ligonier Street in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

class="date">1920-30

Sprinkles

Entrepreneur and owner of the candy company Just Born, Samuel Born created sprinkles or “jimmies” this year.

Fun Fact!

It is alleged that in 1930, a worker at the company, James Bartholemew (known as "Jimmy" to his co-workers) operated the machine that created Born's newest invention: tiny, sugary candy toppings. As the story goes, Born decided to name the invention after its producer, and thus the name "jimmies" was born, and is still a trademarked name today.

class="date">1930

Plant Based

The world’s first commercial soy ice cream is introduced by Jethro Kloss, a Seventh-day Adventist, at Takoma Park Station, Washington, DC. Named Soy Ice Cream and honey sweetened, sold in strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla flavors. He named his company the Scientific Food & Benevolent Association.

Fun Fact!

By 1934 he was serving his soy ice cream at his lectures in Florida (Miami Daily News, 1934, April) and in 1935 he included a recipe for soy “Ice cream” (non-dairy; made with “4 qts. Soy bean milk”) in his herbal classic Back to Eden (p. 105).

class="date">1973

Mint

Mint chocolate chip ice cream (originally Mint Royale) is invented by culinary student Marilyn Ricketts while studying at South Devon College in England. She entered a ice cream recipe competition for Princess Anne’s wedding to Captain Mark Phillips at Westminster Abby.

Fun Fact!

Marilyn got a silver cup for her recipe, introducing the 10th most popular flavor on record.

class="date">1976

Cookies and Creamt

Cookies and cream ice cream was created. Multiple people and companies claim to have invented this flavor, however, there is no concrete evidence to prove which company was first.

Fun Fact!

Though most ice cream brands sell the flavor, only Breyer's, Good Humor, and Klondike have the license to use actual Oreo cookies in their products.

class="date">1984-1

Cookie Dough

Cookie Dough ice cream was invented and introduced to the world by Ben & Jerry’s.

Fun Fact!

One of Ben & Jerry's first Scoop Shops hosted a suggestions board, an anonymous fan scrawled down the idea of raw cookie dough inclusions.

class="date">1984-2

Ice Cream Day

President Ronald Reagan designated the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day in this year.

Fun Fact!

July is considered National Ice Cream Month.