WOOHOOHHH ! We just gotta love ice cream , whatever our age is. And when the ice cream man comes along, we’re like little kids rushing to the front door to get a load of these frozen delights!
And why do we just love ice cream, with all its myriad of flavors?
For one, ice cream is dubbed as “the perfect treat for any season.” Whether you cool off at your veranda with delicious scoops of your favorite flavor in the summer, and you also chill out and bring out the best in the cold December winter air by gobbling up banana split dessert laced with strawberry ice cream!
And if you’re not a fan of vanilla ice cream, cringe over the fruit-flavored versions and hate chocolate flavors, no matter what kind of ice cream flavor you like, there’s an ice cream flavor out there for you.
The International Dairy Foods Association reported recently that the average American consumes more than 23 pounds of ice cream per year .
That’s more calories that we’ll ever want to have each day if we wish to keep and maintain our weight!
How do we explain all the cravings for melt-in-your-mouth sweetness of these frozen desserts ?
We’d love a good scoop anytime , so simple to serve for our family and friends , and no need to fuss over what to eat for dessert. And haven’t you heard of therapists’ advice to have gulps of ice cream to help mend our broken hearts on breakups, calming our nerves on our stress-filled lives?
CNN Health observed that this never-ending ice cream addiction spread in all ages, as an ice cream lover may be “addicted” to a fun and funky Ben and Jerry’s flavor like Blondie Ambition, peppered with loadful chunks of blondies and butterscotch toffee flakes.
On the other hand, other frozen delight fans may prefer Haagen-Dazs’ Banana Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream from its “decadent collection” , or go gaga over both Bourbon Praline Pecan and Bourbon Vanilla Bean Truffle flavors in uninhibited glee.
Sensory Spectrum, a consulting firm helping companies learn how sensory cues drive consumer perceptions of products, explains that sweetness is the driving factor for ice cream cravings, pointing out that it should not be “cloyingly sweet — so you can eat more of it.”
Gail Civille, founder and president of Sensory Spectrum, shares that sweetness contributes to the taste variable, while fat contributes to triggers that you’ve eaten something substantial — with both as key players in the likability of any ice cream brand.
Ice cream companies have perfected the concept of melt by adding a minimum amount of fat, or thickeners and gums, which can mimic the effects of fat if done properly, Civille explained.
She further observes : loving ice cream in “ferocious abandon” by self-confessed ice cream fans can be classified in two parts : either one can be “addicted” to the frozen treat, with all its creaminess and sweetness, or one can also be thrilled and attracted to a particular brand.
And so if the Madagascar vanilla is not available, do you fret and throw a fit?
“You may have to substitute a Tahitian vanilla or use another supplier. As an aside, a lot of vanillas are fake. Vanilla should taste like cooked butter, cooked milk and caramel, not fake caramel with artificial butter notes,” Civille adds.
So enough with these expert observations, and let’s dive in for some trivia and fun facts on ice cream!
First Fun Fact
Neapolitan ice cream wasn’t always the strawberry, chocolate and vanilla trifecta we know today. The original Neapolitan ice cream, which was named in the late 19th century as a reflection of its first cuisine version from the Italian city of Naples, was made up of vanilla , cherry and pistachio in honor of the Italian flag.
Second Fun Fact
Chocolate ice cream was invented about 50 years before the invention of vanilla
Ice cream fandom enthusiasts reveal that the first known traces of this flavor dates back to 1692 in Naples, Italy, with Italian immigrants bringing the ice cream flavor to the US and gaining popularity in the 1800s.
Third Fun Fact
It was in Maryland when the first ice cream was served in the United States circa 1744, when Governor Thomas Bladen gave it to his guests for dessert.
A Virginia official named William Black wrote on his journal entry dated May 19 1744 that he attended a dinner hosted in Annapolis by the Governor, with “some fine ice cream” served , laced with ingredients of strawberries and milk.
Fourth Fun Fact
Ice cream was touted as a popular luxury dessert in France in 1553, introduced by Italian noblewoman Catherine de Medici when she became queen as wife of King Henry II of France. More than a hundred years later, after decades of being exclusive to the royalty, ice cream was finally made available to the general public in 1660 .
Fifth Fun Fact
UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was working as a young research chemist in the early 50’s for food manufacturer J. Lyons & Co. looking for ways to stabilize a cheaper, airier ice cream. Washington Post published a report that Thatcher’s work is responsible for perfecting soft-serve ice cream, and also “made possible the invention of soft ice-cream machine “
Sixth Fun Fact
Pregnant women always have ice cream as one of their topmost cravings. Why does ice cream seem so irresistible for the preggies? Experts speculate that because of hormonal changes among pregnant women, these cravings for sweet delicacies such as ice cream intensify.
So ice cream lovers, let’s admit it : ice cream is not just great by itself , but also with a wide variety of treats. Enjoy mint ice cream with a rich brownie, make that stuffed crepe even better with a scoop of chocolate frozen delights!
The possibilities are endless, and yes we know that we just can’t get enough. Craving? Find the Best Ice Cream Near Me
