Who invented ice cream? Sweet story: ice cream. History and development

Each dessert has its own rich history, woven with fabulous legends and stories. Let's talk about ice cream. This is probably the most favorite dessert on the planet. But the history of its origin is shrouded in mystery. The point is that there are many stories to read about. We present some of them.

One of the hypotheses about the origin of ice cream in Europe says that the ice cream recipe was brought by Marco Polo to Italy from China. He was lucky to be present during the process of making ice cream, and he could not resist the temptation to learn the magic recipe and prepare it himself upon returning home.

According to another version, it is generally accepted that there was a certain cook who had a secret that allowed him to make ice cream. Catherine de Medici knew very well about this cook. When the time came for her wedding with the Duke of Orléans, Catherine, going to France, took with her the very chef who knew how to make ice cream. Charles I liked him so much that he received the status of the royal personal ice cream maker. Charles I gave the cook a lifelong pension, setting one condition for him - no matter what the circumstances, the ice cream maker should under no circumstances divulge the secret of making ice cream to anyone, since the cold sweetness is an exclusively royal dessert.

There is another interpretation regarding the legend of Charles I and his ice cream man. At the next banquet that Charles I arranged for his noble and wealthy guests, he wanted to surprise them with something. To do this, he ordered his cook to serve some new dish that the guests would really like. The cook spent a lot of time on the owner’s instructions, but still he managed to find a middle ground. He presented the guests with a cold dessert, which in appearance looked more like fallen snow than a culinary dish. It was distinguished from other after-dinner desserts by the abundant presence of cream, as well as excellent sweetness.

The guests had a lot of fun. Carl and his cook, whom we know as DeMarco, managed to surprise the guests. Karl's delight knew no bounds. He called DeMarco and asked him not to divulge the secret of making ice cream to anyone. For this he offered the cook an annual payment of 500 pounds. He wanted the new dish to be served exclusively at the royal table. That is why it was so important to him that no one knew about the ice cream recipe. But DeMarco managed to reveal the secret before Charles I lost his head.

In America, ice cream became famous thanks to Philip Lenzi, who brought his recipe in 1774. Upon arrival, he immediately published in the newspapers that he was starting to sell famous desserts, including ice cream from London itself. Dolly Madison gave ice cream a pass to the noble table. She served the then-exclusive dessert to celebrate the inauguration of the new president and her husband, James Madison, in 1813.

In 1846, a New Jersey woman named Nancy Johnson created a machine called the hand freezer. This invention was truly a breakthrough in ice cream production technology. Now anyone could make ice cream by turning the handle of the machine created by Nancy Johnson. It is during this process, in a vessel filled with ice cream, as well as a layer of ice and salt, that the product is frozen. Unfortunately, Nancy Johnson never patented her invention. But on May 30, 1848, a man named Yong patented a similar freezer, giving it the name “Johnson Ice Cream Freezer Patent,” which gave a respectful bow to the real creator of the first ice cream machine.

The city of Baltimore, located in the American state of Maryland, contributed to the history of ice cream. It was in this city that mass production of “sweet snow” began in 1851 by a man named Jacob Fussell. He went down in history as the father of the ice cream industry in America.

The next improvement in the ice cream freezer dates back to 1926. The new device was called a continuous freezer. Its creator is Clarence Vogt. Later, other manufacturers began to produce a new freezer, but it is generally accepted that it was Vogt who gave a new impetus to the production of ice cream, which raised the “sweet” industry to a new level.

Confectioner Thomas Webb, who lived in Toronto, became the first Canadian citizen to sell ice cream in his North American country. The first commercial batch of the magical-tasting dessert was produced in 1893 by William Nelson, all in the same city of Toronto. For about a hundred years, Nelson's company created a Canadian version of ice cream.

When it comes to the origins of ice cream, one should not discount Ancient Rus'. Even in Kievan Rus in ancient times, an unusual dessert was served on the table. It was frozen, very finely chopped, one might even say shaved milk with sugar. As for European countries, at that time they were not aware of such a recipe. But later in France they began to prepare cold sweets, using cream and milk as a basis.

During the time of Napoleon III, the first ice cream was created in France. Its recipe was invented by Le Bay in the city of Plobières. That is why this type of ice cream received the familiar name “ice cream”.

Over time, ice cream became a popular dessert in many countries, each of which came up with various additives and mixtures to make the taste of ice cream more piquant, aromatic and elegant. For example, Italy is considered the birthplace of assorted ice cream. It was in the Apennines that they began to add nuts, fruits, liqueur, slices of cookies and even flowers to ice cream. In Austria, it has become common to serve ice cream with chocolate. It is thanks to all these variations on the theme of ice cream that today we have the most delicious and beloved dessert by many.

Andrey Potapov

The history of ice cream dates back to the 4th century BC. The first recipe was tried by the Roman Emperor Nero, who ordered his subordinates to prepare ice with imported mountain fruits, after which the Chinese King Tangu created ice cream by mixing milk mixtures and ice. Since that time, recipes for this dessert have evolved and were offered in the French and Italian royal courts. The first ice cream was most likely brought to Europe from China.

Portrait of the Roman Emperor Nero

Let's talk today about the most popular delicacy in Russia among both children and adults. We will learn everything about ice cream: where it came to us, who was the first to know this taste, how it was prepared before, as well as some interesting facts about ice cream.

History and development

Who invented the very first ice cream is not actually known, but the most famous origin story begins, as previously mentioned, with Emperor Nero and King Tangu. More than 3 thousand years ago, in the homes of wealthy Chinese, it was customary to treat guests to cold-cooked desserts, that is, made from snow/ice and fruit juices. Even Alexander the Great liked this delicacy, who had specially trained runners under his command, whose duties included delivering snow from the mountains before it melted.

At the end of the 13th century, the Venetian pilgrim Marco Polo invented his own recipe for cold sherbet and brought it to Spain, thereby instilling a love for this dessert in the hearts of Europeans.

At the very beginning of “their journey,” the ice cream recipe was kept secret. The court chefs made an official promise not to tell everything about ice cream, in particular about the ingredients and methods of its preparation. And during the reign of the French queen Catherine de' Medici, the history of the creation of ice cream was considered a state secret, for the distribution of which people were sentenced to death.

After a while, despite all the prohibitions and orders, many people learned how to make ice cream, that is, it became a public domain. Today, “cold dessert” is prepared in almost all countries of the world, and there is a huge variety of this delicacy. For example, relatively recently, German chefs came up with a recipe for a hot omelet stuffed with ginger ice cream, and in Russia, cooks came up with kvass-flavored ice cream, and in America - with garlic flavor. However, there are 4 main types of “cold dessert” in the world:

• Dairy
• Creamy
• Cream
• Fruit and berry.

How to make ice cream with your own hands and without much effort is described in the video:

How did you find out about ice cream in Russia?

Today in Russia, ice cream is one of the most favorite delicacies of children, and it is difficult to imagine that once it was a rather inaccessible dessert that a person with average income could not afford. But time does not stand still, so nowadays almost everyone can buy it for themselves and their family.

It is not known exactly who first invented the “cold dessert” in Russia, but historians say that even in Rus' it was customary to consume frozen milk. On Maslenitsa, housewives in villages served finely shaved frozen milk or a mixture of frozen cottage cheese with sugar and raisins. People prepared and took the dessert outside, where it was frozen, and since Russian winters are long, residents could enjoy ice cream for a long time.

Modern ice cream in Russia arose closer to the 18th century, which is not only a mixture of ice and fruit juice, but also the addition of vanillin and milk to the recipe. The first ice cream industry originated initially in the United States, after which it was inherited in Russia, and in each country the production process is practically no different, except for additives.

Everyone has known this dessert since childhood, but probably not all of us know everything since the appearance of ice cream. Here are some interesting facts collected from all over the world:

1. In Chile, one cocaine trafficker sold his product using chocolate ice cream, assuring people that his product made people feel good. As a rule, his clients tried this new product and came back for more, thereby creating a constant stream of clientele. As it turned out later, one portion of the dessert contained a dose that was enough to cause the characteristic drug intoxication.
2. One Venezuelan ice cream parlor, Coromoto, founded in the 1980s by Manuel da Silva Oliveira, serves some 709 types of ice cream. Today, the owner of the establishment delights customers with such recipes as waffle rolls with tuna, onion ice cream, ice cream with beer, carrots, tomatoes, shrimp, spaghetti, etc. In the summer, cafes serve a portion of this dessert almost every 3 seconds.
3. “Cold dessert” was loved by many great people. For example, when Napoleon was exiled to the island, they brought a device that made this delicacy, and one of the most ardent fans of ice cream was the son of Marie de Medici, Henry III, who could consume different varieties of it at any time of the year.
4. Hippocrates recommended that his patients consume frozen fruit drinks to maintain health.
5. Goethe first tried “cold dessert” as a child, but could not afford to eat it often, because in those days it was expensive.
6. Although there is plenty of ice cream in Russia, today in some Siberian villages they continue to use old ice cream recipes - frozen milk and cottage cheese with raisins.

Each dish and dessert has its own story, compiled from stories and legends. The taste of ice cream has been known since ancient times, and until our time, people from generation to generation have carried a love for this delicacy.

Ice cream is a very ancient delicacy. The history of the invention of the most popular dessert goes back to the times of the most ancient civilizations of Asia - China and Mesopotamia. Ice cream was admired by Alexander the Great, Napoleon and George Washington, and several people patented it.

The history of ice cream is believed to date back more than 5,000 years.

As early as 3000 BC in rich houses China Desserts vaguely reminiscent of ice cream were served at the table - rich Chinese feasted on snow and ice mixed with pieces of oranges, lemons and pomegranate seeds. The Chinese Emperor Tanggu even came up with his own recipe for making mixtures of ice and milk. Recipes and storage methods were kept secret and were declassified only in the 11th century BC in the book “Shiking” - a canonical collection of ancient songs.

Another ancient source describing the use of chilled juices during harvesting is the letters of Solomon, king of Israel. The ancient Arabs also adopted the tradition of eating ice cream. Chilled wines, juices and dairy products were also consumed by the ancient Greeks, and after them by other civilizations. The famous ancient doctor also recommended ice cream for improving health. Hippocrates.

N. Chernyshov "Novgorod ice cream lady", 1928

And therefore the struggle for the buyer is life and death. The best and most expensive varieties are made from elite natural products based on the most modern technologies. The quality of such ice cream can be judged by the fact that without any preservatives it can be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of –20 o C for up to two and a half years.

In pursuit of consumer demand, world market leaders annually update their assortment, although there are already several thousand types of ice treats. Among the hits of recent years are ice cream with walnuts, green tea ice cream, and ice cream with forest herbs. Not to mention currant, blackberry, pineapple, special varieties based on live yoghurts... It’s impossible to list everything.

And soft ice cream - British scientists (whose group included a young Margaret Thatcher) came up with a method in which twice as much air is added to ice cream, and the result is “soft” ice cream!

In the 1990s, thicker, premium ice cream appeared. This category includes Ben and Jerry's, Beechdean and Haagen-Dazs. By the way, Ruben Mattus invented his ice cream back in 1960 and called it Haagen-Dazs because it sounds Danish.

Which one to choose?

In fact, any ice cream is a chilled whipped emulsion from a mixture of milk, possibly cream, sugar, sometimes eggs, often fruit juices, various fruits or vegetables (in Japan - even fish and seafood) plus flavorings and various additives such as nuts or pieces of caramel.

Depending on the production method, ice cream can be hardened, soft and homemade. Soft, at a temperature of 5–7 o C, is done in restaurants and cafes using special equipment. You need to eat it right away; such desserts are not prepared for future use. It looks like a cream.

Tempered ice cream - industrial. It is divided into several groups - by type of main product and filler and by packaging. The main representatives of the “milk” group – milk, cream and ice cream – differ from each other in their fat content.

Other groups are fruit and berry or fruity and aromatic. There are also so-called amateur, or homemade, types - milk-based, fruit, milk-fruit, multi-layer, with egg white and even with confectionery fat.

Now for specific numbers. The fattest ice cream is ice cream, its fat content is on average 12–15%.

It is named after the French city of Plombières, where it was allegedly invented. Allegedly, because in France the ice cream is made from English almond cream with the addition of whipped cream and candied fruit infused with cherry vodka. Our ice cream, of course, is simpler, but it’s still the fattest and most high-calorie ice cream.

Next comes cream, with a fat content of 8–10%, then milk, which contains even less fat, only 2.8–3.5%. There is no milk fat in fruit and berry ice cream and fruit ice, because they are made from fresh and frozen fruits and berries, from purees, natural juices, jams and jams.

And, of course, every consumer is interested in the quality of ice cream. And it directly depends on its cost.

Firstly, because real, non-powdered, fresh and high-quality cream, various berries, fruits, chocolate and other natural ingredients are always more expensive than semi-finished products, concentrates and dyes. Secondly, equipment that allows maintaining the quality of the original product is also an expensive pleasure, inaccessible to small firms.

AND in conclusion, this photo will tell you about another use of ice cream without words:

1962, Cannes.
Federico Fellini's girlfriend Anouk Aimee treats the paparazzi to ice cream ;-)

It took a long time for the delicacy to reach Europe: Marco Polo brought several recipes for its production to Italy from his famous journey to the East - the year was 1295. Italian chefs began serving water-based and milk-based ice cream. But when the recipe reached the true gourmets of culinary art - the French - the kitchens turned into creative laboratories, and the long-awaited evolution and flourishing of ice cream began. It was in France that they first started making cold dessert in the form of balls.

To globalize ice cream production, it was necessary to learn how to somehow preserve the fast-melting product, and Spain entered the arena of events: Dr. Blasius Vilafranca decided to use saltpeter for a more lasting freezing effect (sounds gloomy - but we are talking about an era when mercury and quinine were considered medicines).

Ice cream reached the green hills of prim Great Britain around the middle of the 17th century, where King Charles, having tasted the marvelous overseas dish, went to the ridiculous extent of banning its production throughout the country. Either out of greed, or out of considerations for the prestige of the royal court, only rulers, their courtiers and ladies-in-waiting were allowed to eat ice cream. But progress cannot be stopped - after his death, the king’s chefs revealed the secret of making “royal ice cubes” to everyone and everything.

Meanwhile, the fateful year 1670 came, and the first cafe opened in Paris, whose menu consisted exclusively of ice cream - milk and cream, as well as sorbets. It was in this variation that ice cream came to settlers in North America - which is why it was nicknamed “cold cream”, or “ice cream”. There, in America, in 1843, Nancy Johnson invented a hand-held ice cream mixer: the mixer filled the perimeter of a container with a creamy base with ice. Not having thought to patent the discovery, the American woman missed the chance to get rich: the enterprising businessman Mr. Young made a lot of money on someone else’s idea, subsequently receiving dividends from the first commercial ice cream production line based on hand mixers, created by Jacob Fassl in 1851 in the USA.

The invention was mechanized in 1855, however, already in Australia - the meaning of the word “globalization” truly becomes clear, doesn’t it? Meanwhile, the best minds did not sleep, improving freezers and advancing scientific and technological progress in the name of ice cream. Thus, in 1899, the French inventor Auguste Golin presented a homogenizer to jubilant sweet tooths: this miracle unit was capable of preparing a stable structure from a heterogeneous natural fat-containing creamy mass (not to be confused with a modern ice cream!) and reducing the size of ice crystals. Thanks to this, ice cream could not melt outside the refrigeration unit longer, and it became possible to enjoy it not only on a saucer, but also pack it in cardboard cups. This is how “ice cream” for the first time ceased to be sold by weight and became a retail item. Three years later, industrial ice cream coolers appeared, and “ice pieces” quickly became widespread on an intercontinental scale.

Ice cream was “dressed up” in wafer cups, beloved by children, in 1904. Ernest Humvee, who emigrated to St. Louis from distant Syria, modestly sold waffles at a fair stall next to an ice cream seller. When a neighbor ran out of saucers, Humvee suggested making waffle cones that could be filled with “cold cream.” The invention, as they say, was “torn off with one’s hands,” and this helped the inventive Syrian to get firmly on his feet financially - after all, he created the first company for the production of waffle cones, which later acquired an industrial character.

Eskimo was also born in Shaty, but who invented it and when is a blank spot in history. It is possible that the idea came to three people simultaneously and independently of each other. One of them was schoolboy Frank Epperson - having forgotten half-drunk lemonade with a spoon in a glass on the porch in the evening, the next morning he actually found “fruit ice on a stick”, and was the first to appreciate its convenience back in 1905. Having matured, he returned to this recipe and sold his invention in a city park under the name “Epsicle” (the first two letters of his last name before “icicle” - “icicle”). At summer sports games in the 1920s, the delicacy became known as "Popsicle", which probably hints at the popularity of popsicles among the public. Another inventor is Christian Nelson, who in 1919 invented an ice cream bar covered with chocolate icing. He called it "Eskimo Pie" ("Eskimo Pie"), and three years later he patented it simply as "Eskimo Pie". But a wooden stick was added to it only in 1934. The third is the Frenchman Charles Gervais, who sold advanced ice cream on a stick in one of the cinemas in Paris. During the screening of a documentary about the life of the Eskimos, “Nanook of the North,” one of the spectators allegedly dubbed the ice cream “popsicle.”

But, perhaps, none of the resourceful cooks of the past could have imagined that today, in the 21st century, it would be possible to order not only sweet cream with various jams, rose petals, nuts or honey, but also ice cream with onions, chili peppers, and squid , spaghetti, beer, tuna, carrots, pork cracklings, garlic, beans and other incredibly creepy-sounding fillings that can be ordered in specialized establishments. The most expensive and exclusive cold dessert in the world costs about a thousand dollars per serving - “golden” ice cream is prepared with the addition of thin gold foil and exotic fruits and berries.

How great it is to remove the wrapper from ice cream in the summer heat and feel the taste of this cold delicacy! Did you know that people have been experiencing the same delight that you feel before a portion of ice cream for five thousand years! In this story I will tell you when the history of ice cream began.

A long time ago, in wealthy Chinese homes, desserts vaguely reminiscent of ice cream were served at the table - rich Chinese feasted on snow and ice mixed with pieces of fruit and milk.

During the time of Alexander the Great, they came up with the idea of ​​freezing berries in the snow. It seems so simple, but where can you get snow or ice in hot countries? After all, there was no talk about refrigerators back then.

Ice cream was invented in those regions where heat and cold coexist. That is, in southern countries where there are mountains. Slaves were sent there to get snow. And to prevent it from melting, special relay races were organized to see who could run faster and bring more frost to the emperor’s court. So one day they managed to deliver a whole caravan of camels loaded with mountain snow.

It was stored in ice cellars, the stream, walls and floor of which were covered with a thick layer of the mixture. It included egg whites, sand, clay, goat hair, ash, and lime. When this mixture dried, it became durable and did not allow heat and water to pass through.

It began in Europe when a traveler brought it. Having visited China, he loved this delicacy so much that upon returning to his homeland - Italy, he shared some recipes for its preparation. The recipes were kept in the strictest confidence, and their disclosure was tantamount to high treason.

Exactly in Italy ice cream began to be considered a homogeneous, creamy creamy mass, and not ice with fruit. To prepare it, place the container with the ingredients in a bowl filled with ice and salt, and beat the milk mass. The melt water was periodically drained, adding new ice and a portion of salt. And after a couple of hours the dessert was ready. Salt helped the ice melt faster and take more heat from the cooked dish.

But there is always someone who spills the beans. A young Italian woman, having married a French king, brought with her a chef famous for making ice cream.

The delicacy became publicly available in 1660. One fisherman inherited an ice cream churning machine from his grandfather. It was a primitive device: two pans inserted into one another; a handle with blades for stirring was attached to the top lid. It was he who opened the first ice cream parlor in Paris, Prokop. Customers were offered up to eighty varieties of ice cream. This establishment is still operating today.

First plant, which makes ice cream, opened in the mid-19th century. Since then, a popsicle, a waffle cone, and thousands of other recipes have been invented. One restaurant in Venezuela offers its visitors ice cream with onions, carrots, tomatoes, beans, trout, shrimp and squid, spaghetti, garlic, rose petals and even spicy ice cream with chili peppers.