While the International Ice Cream Association reports that vanilla remains the most popular flavor among its customers with 28% preferring that flavor, there are plenty of other options out there for those looking for something new. Have you ever wonderedexactly where different flavors have come from, and what inspired their creation? Grab your tasting spoon and dig in -- we're about to make your desserts come alive!
Vanilla
Seen today as a plain and simple flavor, vanilla was originally used as a way to enhance the flavor of drinking chocolate. This first happened when Frenchdessertpurveyors found that these flavors worked exceptionally well while hot, and decided to freeze the same concoction. This was the invention of French vanilla. Food scientists believe that vanilla has been the most popular flavor of ice cream for more than two centuries due to its straight-to-the-point simple, yet, deep and complex, flavorings.
Chocolate
It seems quite rare to find someone who doesn't like chocolate, doesn't it? However, chocolate was only brought to the global stage with the discovery of the Americas. The ancient Mayan people typically drank chocolate from the cacao bean, flavored with chili beans and other spices to give it a kick. This drink was seen as quite the luxury and was typically only consumed by the rich elite, so European explorers brought the plant home and put a spin on it.
Strawberry
Completing the classic Neapolitan flavor combination, strawberry was one of the first ice cream flavors ever created. It was first served in 1744 when Maryland Governor Thomas Bladen would serve it to visiting guests. This pink flavor has actually grown with such fervor that every year onJanuary 15, Americans celebrate National Strawberry Ice Cream day!
With the history of these three common ice cream flavors in mind, you sure will have a few things to think about the next time you take a glance into your ice cream cup. Now you will have some interesting food for thought next time you enjoy your dessert!
FAQs
The origins of ice cream, sorbet and other chilled dairy treats are difficult to pin down—but span back to antiquity. According to popular legend, ice cream was invented by the ancient Chinese, brought to Italy by Marco Polo, to France by Catherine de Medici, and thence to America by Thomas Jefferson.
What was the most popular ice cream flavor? ›
Ice cream expert and IDFA Vice President, Cary Frye, explains, "Vanilla has long been the best-selling ice cream flavor not only because it is creamy and delicious, but also because of its ability to enhance so many other desserts and treats.
What were the popular ice cream flavors in the 1950s? ›
1950s: Pineapple
So it's no surprise that pineapple found its way into ice cream, too. Flavors in grocery store freezers included a pink pineapple sherbet, cherry pineapple and a vanilla, raspberry and orange-pineapple swirled ice cream.
What were the flavors of ice cream in the 1940s? ›
Recipes dating from the 1880s into the 1940s called for between three and five flavors of ice cream—popular choices were lemon, vanilla, coffee, almond, and chocolate—to be molded together in a square form, then sliced to show off the colorful pattern. Some would even include an icy fruit sorbet layer for contrast.
What is the oldest ice cream? ›
The earliest forms of ice cream bear little resemblance to the creamy sweet stuff inside your freezer. The emperors of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD) are believed to have been the first to eat “a frozen milk-like confection.” This version was made with cow, goat or buffalo milk that was heated with flour.
What is America's #1 ice cream flavor? ›
This confection has so enamored the country that the majority of U.S. ice cream manufacturers have been in the business for more than 50 years (and counting). YouGov asked 1,000 U.S. adults about their favorite ice cream flavor, and many Americans ranked vanilla and chocolate at the top.
What is the least favorite ice cream flavor? ›
Birthday Cake/Cake Batter, 2% Birthday cake ice cream is an ice cream made with birthday cake batter and flavorings, including sprinkles. However, it comes in as the joint least favorite flavor for Americans, with only 2 percent choosing it as their top flavor.
Who had 31 flavors of ice cream? ›
What was once a selection of 31 flavors—Baskin-Robbins "31®" stands for a different ice cream flavor for each day of the month—has grown to more than 1,400 in its flavor library.
Who had 28 flavors of ice cream? ›
Howard Johnson's was America's biggest restaurant chain in the 1960s and 1970s and as much as anything else it was its “unique” ice-cream (with 28 flavors) that people drove miles for.
Which ice cream flavor was invented first? ›
Chocolate was one of the first ice cream flavors, created before vanilla. 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.
By producing it in mass quantities ice cream became more affordable and accessible to all, and thanks to the advancements in refrigeration technology it began to be sold in grocery stores in 1930 and quickly became a household staple across the nation.
What is the most common ice cream Flavour? ›
Vanilla reigns supreme as the most popular ice cream flavor around the globe.
Did they have ice cream in ww2? ›
By the Second World War, ice cream was firmly entrenched aboard Naval vessels. So much so, that battleships and aircraft carriers were actually outfitted with ice cream machinery, and by the end of the war the Navy was training sailors in their uses through special classes.
What is the oldest dessert in history? ›
Apart from bearing the lofty distinction as the world's oldest dessert, ashure retains important spiritual significance today across Anatolia, the lands comprising the majority of modern-day Turkey.
How did ice cream originate? ›
The earliest evidence of anything approaching ice cream being made was in China in the Tang period (A.D. 618-907). Buffalo, cows' and goats' milk was heated and allowed to ferment. This 'yoghurt' was then mixed with flour for thickening, camphor (yes camphor!) for flavour and 'refrigerated' before being served.
Why is ice cream called dessert? ›
Why do we call the last course (sweet/icecream) of the meal as 'dessert'? The word dessert originated from the French word desservir meaning to clear the table which would basically refer to the fact that dessert was served after the table had been clear of all the dishes.
Where did frozen dessert originate? ›
Frozen delicacies are not a modern invention: the first iced desserts appeared in China in 3000 BCE, while the first sorbet machines arrived on the market in 1872.
