July 15, 2016
Introduction: In this article – just in time to celebrate National Ice Cream Day this Sunday – Gena Philibert-Ortega gives a brief history of ice cream and provides some delicious ice cream recipes she found in old newspapers. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.”
Are you ready for some ice cream? My guess is that the increasing summer heat will make the answer to that question a resounding YES! Ice cream may seem like a more recent dessert choice because of the need for freezers – but you may be surprised to learn that your 18th century ancestors also enjoyed ice cream.
Ice Cream History 101
Ice cream has evolved from earlier desserts made of sweetened ices. Alexander the Great ate sweet-flavored snow and ices centuries before the Roman Empire’s Nero Claudius Caesar (A.D. 54-86) consumed snow flavored with fruits and juices.*
Now those treats sound more like modern-day “snow cones” and less like the ice cream dairy desserts we are familiar with, so you may be wondering which generation of your ancestors ate something similar to the ice cream of today. If we search old newspapers, like GenealogyBank’s online Historical Newspaper Archives, we can pinpoint when the words “ice cream” started appearing in print in the United States.
In November 1773 Rivington’s New York Gazetteer announced the arrival from London of “Monsieur Lenzi Confectioner.” Aside from the candy he had available, Lenzi also offered “ice cream and fruits.” No specific flavors are mentioned.
Lenzi’s newspaper advertisements for ice cream continued. In 1777 Lenzi was advertising his various fruits, cakes, jellies and even preserved milk, as well as “ice cream of what sort they will please to order.”
By 1829, readers could find “receipts” (an early word for recipe) for ice cream in the newspaper. The following recipe provides a base made from boiling eggs, cream, and sugar that could be flavored with anything from “lemon, rose, venilli [sic], strawberries, chocolate, &c. as you like it.”
Understandably, ice cream remained a rare treat until technological advances made the storage of ice cream more affordable and widely available. Eventually, as the frozen dessert became more popular, variations on flavors and ways to serve ice cream evolved to include sundaes and ice cream cones.
Unique Flavors
How willing are you to try more unusual ice cream flavors? While we tend to think of ice cream flavored with chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla, there are more interesting sweet as well as savory flavors available.
When I was a child I begged and pleaded with my parents to let me try bubble gum ice cream. Like most parents, they initially said no and told me that I wouldn’t enjoy it, but I persisted. I couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t like bubble gum ice cream. Well as you can probably guess, I didn’t like it. The multitasking required to eat the ice cream and chew the bubble gum at the same time was too much for me.
Like bubble gum ice cream, other unique ice cream flavors exist. In some cases, ice cream makers get creative and concoct flavors that are more savory than sweet. One example is the garlic ice cream that can be found at the Gilroy (California) Garlic Festival. Another flavor that might not be familiar to most of us is found in the following Texas newspaper article. Winning recipes of a 1982 ice cream recipe contest are featured, including a recipe for Avocado Sherbet for which the writer states: “It sounds odd but tastes lightly wonderful.”
Ice Cream Desserts
Besides making your own ice cream, you can take store-bought ice cream and craft your own desserts. This 1992 newspaper article includes such favorites as Baked Alaska, Banana Split, and Mud Pie.
(At the end of this article, I’ll enlarge these recipes so that you can try them at home.)
My Favorite Flavor
I’m not too picky when it comes to ice cream – but if I had to choose, my favorite flavor is Rocky Road. Rocky Road has an interesting history, as documented in this newspaper article honoring the 65th anniversary of the creation. According to the article, the founders of Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream experimented by adding almonds and marshmallows to ice cream. Because there were no mini marshmallows in 1929 they ended up using their wives’ sewing scissors to cut the marshmallows to size!
What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? Do you prefer to stop by the store for a half gallon, down to the ice cream store for a cone, or make your dessert at home? I’d love to hear your favorites in the comments section below.
And now, as promised, here are some of those delicious ice cream recipes:
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* The History of Ice Cream. International Dairy Foods Association.
