ICE CREAM

Anytime is the right time to enjoy America’s favorite cool treat—Ice Cream.

Ice cream was invented in China in about 200 BC, when a soft, milk and rice mixture was further solidified by packing it in snow. Roman emperors are alleged to have sent slaves to the mountaintops to bring back fresh snow which was then flavored and served. As time went on, ice cream became more and more popular with all cultures and people. In 1846 Nancy Johnson invented the first hand-crank ice cream freezer. In 1851, Jacob Fussell, a milk dealer in Baltimore, converted his milk plant into the first ice cream plant in the United States.
Ice cream has come to signify America. It is the Ice Cream Capitol of the World. When immigrants were entering the country for the first time, the commissioner of Ellis Island decided to give them a taste of something truly American by providing ice cream as part of their first meal.

Ice cream has evolved from being a luxury item found in confectionary shops in the mid-19th century to an inexpensive dessert available at the nearest grocery store.

The United States produces and consumes more ice cream than any other country, an average 23 quarts per year, which makes it the Ice Cream Capitol of the World. New Englanders enjoy a hearty 39 quarts of ice cream per year, or about 14 more per year than the average American.

The annual production of ice cream in the U.S is more than 900 million gallons. Vanilla is the most popular flavor with about 20% of the nation’s total ice cream sales. In New England, consumption of vanilla ice cream is even higher, accounting for 25% of total ice cream sales. About one third of all the ice cream sold in the U.S. is vanilla. Because ice cream is so popular in the United States, in 1984 the President declared July the National Ice Cream Month and the second Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day.