Americans love ice cream. The United States produces 1.6 billion gallons of frozen desserts annually. We export about 40 million of those gallons to other countries, especially Japan.

And the rest? We eat it. Each year Americans spend almost $20 billion on ice cream and other frozen desserts.

The one thing Americans didn't do with ice cream was invent it. So who did? No one knows for sure. Read on to taste the history and mystery of this popular food.

OLD WORLD

At first, ice cream was mainly a treat for the rich and the royal. Before refrigeration, ice was rare and expensive. Making ice cream also took hours, so it helped to have servants who could do it.

Sweet Snow
A.D. 54: Nero became emperor of Rome. He knew how to throw a feast. For dessert, he served a one-of-a-kind treat: sweet snow. To make it, Nero's slaves ran up into the mountains and gathered snow. Then they sprinted back to the kitchen, where cooks flavored the snow with fruit, wine, or honey.

Cool Legend
1295: Italian explorer Marco Polo returned home after 17 years in China. His Description of the World amazed Europeans. Among the strange things he saw was "milk dried into a kind of paste." Over time, that piece of Polo's story grew into the legend that he brought home a recipe for ice cream. He didn't.

Rare Treat
1660s: Wealthy Europeans enjoyed a rare new treat—"water ices." Before long, creative cooks added cream to the mix. To make things really fancy, they used metal molds to form ice cream into all sorts of shapes.

COMING TO AMERICA

Like most Americans, ice cream was an immigrant. And, like most immigrants, it changed a lot after arriving. With the rise of factories in the 1800s, ice cream became a mass-produced treat. By 1900, almost anyone could afford it.

Founding Fans
1744: In his diary, colonist William Black mentioned "fine Ice Cream" at a dinner party in Maryland. That's the first record of American ice cream. Fans of this cool treat later included George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. In the 1780s, Jefferson was a diplomat in France. He became fond of vanilla and probably introduced it to America. Vanilla is now the best-selling ice cream flavor.

Mighty Machine
1843: Making ice cream took a lot of muscle. The first step was putting a pail of cream inside a bucket of ice. For the next few hours, cooks had to stir the cream and shake the ice. Things got much easier when Nancy Johnson invented an ice cream machine. Turning a crank stirred the ingredients and made the ice cream freeze smoothly.

First Factories
1850s: Jacob Fussell opened America's first ice cream factories. "More than anyone else," says one history book, he "was responsible for starting the Americans' love affair with ice cream." Fussell's partner, James Horton, later opened a New York factory.

Ice Cream Sodas
1870s: "Soda," or bubbly water, became popular during the 1800s. Sweet syrups flavored the soda. Who thought of adding ice cream? That's a mystery. Depending on whom you believe, it happened in Philadelphia or New York or Detroit. In any case, going out for ice cream sodas was still a favorite activity in the 1950s.

Sundaes
1880s: The sundae is probably named for the first day of the week. One popular tale is that many places banned selling sodas on Sunday. In response, a crafty merchant put just ice cream and syrup into a dish. The gooey result was a hit. At least five towns claim to be the sundae's birthplace.

First Cone?
1904: Countless visitors attended the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. Many marveled at their first sight of an ice cream cone. But just who invented it? Several fair vendors claimed that they had made the first cone. Generally the glory goes to Ernest Hamwi, an immigrant from Syria. He was selling thin, waffle-shaped cakes. Next to him was an ice cream stand. The ice cream seller ran out of dishes. So, Hamwi said, he quickly shaped his cakes into cones that could hold ice cream.

NEW TWISTS ON AN OLD TREAT

Today 90 percent of American households eat ice cream. Ever inventive, ice cream makers constantly seek new ways to keep customers interested.

Brick on a Stick
1919: Danish immigrant Christian Nelson sold candy in Iowa. One spring afternoon, a young customer wanted some chocolate. Then he changed his mind. What he really wanted was ice cream. That gave Nelson an idea. He created the I-Scream Bar—a small brick of ice cream coated with chocolate. Nelson then placed his creation on a stick, just as factories do today.

Hitting the Road
1934: Thomas Carvelas, a Greek American, began selling ice cream in New York State. He used his profits to invent a freezer that could produce soft "Carvel" ice cream. Carvelas paired his invention with a favorite American machine—the car. Carefully placing shops along highways, Carvel built an ice cream empire.

Far-Out Flavors
2003: Some things about ice cream haven't changed. Back in the 1790s, a New York cookbook included recipes for parmesan, ginger, and brown bread ice cream. Today's New Yorkers can try rose, ketchup, or potato chip ice cream. American ice cream—like the nation itself—is as flavorful as ever.

Text by Peter Winkler
This article appears on pages 12-16 of our April-May 2003 issue.

LINKS

National Geographic Game: Ice Cream Challenge
Think you've got the scoop? Then try your luck with some cool questions.

Great Idea Finder: Innovation History
The ice cream cone was a great idea. Check out these other great ideas.

IceCream.com: Fun Facts
Enjoy another taste of ice cream history and trivia.