TheOriginOf.com

ICE CREAM

ICE CREAM

ICE CREAM
Hot summers mean the scorching sun, sweat dripping down your forehead and sun burns. It also means beaches, swimming, air conditioned rooms and tongue tingling ice creams.
Ice creams are desserts liked by kids and grown ups. It’s one dish you really can’t resist. Made with sweeteners, flavoring and dairy products, this dessert tops the chart in favorite dishes.
The preparation of ice creams is one which has to be done with a lot of care. Being very prone to have crystal formations, this is made by stirring it very slowly and continuously. The final product is a smooth and creamy ice cream. These are served in cups and cones. Every bite of the ice cream fills your mouth with a taste you love and a chillness which helps you beat the summer heat.
Though ice is nearly as old as our planet, ice creams came into existence not too many centuries ago. The Chinese have been the pioneers in many fields and we have to thank them for inventing the ice cream. With no fixed date or confirmed forefather, ice creams first came into the limelight in about 200 B.C. The first ice cream was made by freezing rice flour and milk mixed together.
Many kings loved the taste of different flavors on ice. King Tang who belonged to Shang in China tried a new recipe. He mixed camphor, flour and buffalo milk and froze it to make his version of the ice cream. This happened between 618-97 A.D.
To pamper their sweet tooth, many Roman emperors sent their slaves to fetch ice from high mountain tops, flavored it with sweeteners like sugar and honey and formed their version of the dessert.
Alexander the Great was fond of ice topped with nectar and honey. King Solomon from the biblical ages too enjoyed iced beverages. Ice creams were a luxurious treat which only the rich could afford.
Now let’s come to the next question! From where did these kings get the idea of ice cream? Where else? Nature! It is the best teacher. Just look at penguins! They freeze their fishes on blocks of ice and then eat them.
Now, with the kings all enjoying the ice creams, it was still a long time before ice creams became a public affair. It was in the 16th century when ice creams were made public. Still it was too expensive for the common man to enjoy its flavors.
The common man then began making ice cream at home. They started by mixing couple of sweet ingredients together and just freezing them. Little kids poured their fruit juices into small containers of different shapes and froze them. Though the ice creams had crystals in them, people were just happy to enjoy the frozen desserts. To try and give their kids different tastes, mothers began freezing milk, coffee, custard and yoghurt.
So the ice creams made at home in large bowls and filled with crystals became a dessert. In 1846, Nancy Johnson found that salt was a very vital ingredient in ice cream making. She invented the hand-cranked freezer. This is a product that we still find in the households of many developing countries. The freezer had a handle which had to be turned around regularly to avoid the crystals from forming. She filled the exteriors of the freezer with ice and salt. Salt blended with the ice and slowed down the melting process. Nancy Johnson has given us this great invention but somehow she never registered her invention and so doesn’t have a patent for it.
In 1848, a Mr. Young registered the hand-cranked freezer and gave it the name the Johnson patent hand-cranked freezer. This gave the people, a chance to make better ice cream and in bigger quantities. Ice cream became a must for all functions. Where there was a celebration, people wanted to have ice creams and so the demand for ice cream was always far more than the supply.
Nearly 80 years later in 1926, a continuous ice cream processor was invented. This gave the way for commercial ice cream. Now, ice cream could be made in huge quantities and stored for even longer durations. The more the production increased, the more the prices dropped making ice creams more famous and affordable for all classes.
Now ice cream is nearly a part of our staple diet. There are so many ice cream companies all over the world that it is even difficult to give an approximate count. With more companies venturing into this field, the flavors too have increased dramatically.
Vanilla and chocolate may be the world’s fastest and most selling flavors but then you can find a flavor to match your mood and taste. To make ice creams more interesting various other side dishes have been introduced. Opposites attract and so many time ice creams are served with hot dishes. Nuts, walnuts and cashew nuts are chopped finely and then added as a topping over the ice creams. Honey and fruits too make a good combination with ice creams.
Every country has its special ice cream flavors and brands. While King Tang introduced ice creams to China. Traveler Marco Polo took this dessert to Italy. Charles I refused to let out the recipe of his ice cream. He even paid his chefs huge amounts to keep the recipe a secret. Phillip Lenzi was the first to advertise and sell ice creams in New York. Thomas Webb of Toronto brought this dessert into Canada in the late 18th century.
The world has changed and so has the appearance of the ice cream stalls. We now have vendors who serve ice creams in small trolleys to those who have huge air conditioned concept ice cream shops. Ice cream shops which look like igloos or a star lit night are common sites to see these days.
The people today are all crazy about sweets and some even suffer from diabetes. Since diabetics can’t eat sweets, ice creams too became a strict NO. Thanks to some scientists and clever confectioners, who came up with the no sugar diabetes ice-cream. The carbohydrates in the milk too are cause for concern and so instead of milk soya milk is used or the milk is skimmed to reduce the fat content.
Whether, you are big or small. Whether, it’s hot or cold. Whether, it’s raining or dry, it is always perfect to eat ice creams. So, grab your favorite flavor and just dive in.