Ice cream

{{Short description|Frozen dessert}} {{Other uses}} {{Pp-move}} {{Pp-vandalism|small=yes}} {{Use Oxford spelling|date=March 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Infobox food | name = Ice cream | image = Ice cream with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and a wafer (cropped).jpg | image_size = | caption = Vanilla ice cream served with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a wafer | alternate_name = | country = | region = | creator = | course = | type = Frozen dessert | served = | main_ingredient = Milk, cream, sweetener, flavouring | variations = Gelato, frozen custard, Kulfi, Dondurma, Booza }}

'''Ice cream''' is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food colouring is sometimes added in addition to stabilizers. The mixture is cooled below the freezing point of water and stirred to incorporate air spaces and prevent detectable ice crystals from forming. It can also be made by whisking a flavoured cream base and liquid nitrogen together. The result is a smooth, semi-solid foam that is solid at very low temperatures (below {{convert|35|F|C|order=flip|disp=or}}). It becomes more malleable as its temperature increases.

Ice cream may be served in dishes, eaten with a spoon, or licked from edible wafer ice cream cones held by the hands as finger food. Ice cream may be served with other desserts—such as cake or pie—or used as an ingredient in cold dishes—like ice cream floats, sundaes, milkshakes, and ice cream cakes—or in baked items such as Baked Alaska. It is often sold in dedicated ice cream parlors, ice cream carts, or ice cream vans.

Italian ice cream is gelato. Frozen custard is a type of rich ice cream. Soft serve is softer and is often served at amusement parks and fast-food restaurants in the United States. Ice creams made from cow's milk alternatives, such as goat's or sheep's milk, or milk substitutes (e.g., soy, oat, cashew, coconut, almond milk, or tofu), are available for those who are lactose intolerant, allergic to dairy protein, or vegan. Banana "nice cream"{{Efn|Not to be confused with the small-batch ice cream business Nice Cream.}} is a 100% fruit-based vegan alternative. Frozen yoghurt, or "froyo", is similar to ice cream but uses yoghurt and can be lower in fat. Fruity sorbets or sherbets are not ice creams but are often available in ice cream shops.

The meaning of the name ''ice cream'' varies from one country to another. In some countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ice cream composition |url=https://www.foodlabellingservices.co.uk/news/ice-cream-composition-and-labelling}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ice cream formulation |url=https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/ice-cream-reformulation-and-technical-guidance}}</ref> ''ice cream'' applies only to a specific variety, and most governments regulate the commercial use of the various terms according to the relative quantities of the main ingredients, notably the amount of butterfat from cream.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idfa.org/news--views/media-kits/ice-cream/ice-cream-labeling/ |title=Ice Cream Labeling: What Does it all Mean? |access-date=9 August 2008 |publisher=International Foodservice Distributors Association|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080514083818/http://www.idfa.org/facts/icmonth/page5.cfm |archive-date = 14 May 2008}}</ref> Products that do not meet the criteria to be called ice cream, usually due to being reduced fat (often through cost reduction), are sometimes labelled '''frozen dairy dessert''' instead.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/dining/remembering-when-breyers-ice-cream-was-you-know-ice-cream.html|title=Ice Cream's Identity Crisis|date=17 April 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=1 January 2017|archive-date=2 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102082038/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/dining/remembering-when-breyers-ice-cream-was-you-know-ice-cream.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In other countries, such as Italy and Argentina, one word is used for all variants.

== History == ===Early frozen desserts=== The origins of frozen desserts are obscure, although several accounts exist about their history. Some sources say the history of ice cream begins in Persia in 550 BC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marks |first=Tasha |title=The delicious decadence of Persian sweets |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/delicious-decadence-persian-sweets|quote=The culture of sweetness was one of luxury and innovation: ancient Persia is even credited as inventing the first ice cream-like foods, which originated as far back as 550 BC. }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Farrokh |first=Dr Kaveh |title=The Unknown Origins of Ice Cream in Ancient Iran |url=https://www.kavehfarrokh.com/ancient-prehistory-651-a-d/achaemenids/the-unknown-origins-of-ice-cream-in-ancient-iran/ |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=Dr. Kaveh Farrokh |language=en-US<<<<-quote=The origins of the ice cream refreshment can be traced to ancient Iran where the technology to manufacture and store ice was invented as far back as 400 BCE or during the tenure of the Achaemenid Empire.}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite book|last=Marks|first=Gil|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC&q=sorbet+originated+in+persia&pg=PT593|title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food|date=2010-11-17|publisher=HMH|isbn=978-0-544-18631-6|language=en|quote=A yakhchal (ice storage) was an ancient Persian freezer. By at least 400 BC, Persians had developed techniques for storing ice, which was gathered during the winter or carried from the tops of mountains, in large insulated underground chambers topped by domed structures. This innovation allowed ice to be available throughout the summer, even in the desert. A favorite use of this stored ice was in one of the earliest frozen desserts; the forerunner of all ice creams and sorbets, this ancient Persian mixture included ice, honey, and various flavors, notably saffron and fruits.}}</ref> A Roman cookbook dating back to the 1st century includes recipes for sweet desserts that are sprinkled with snow,<ref name=rsc/> and there are Persian records from the 2nd century for sweetened drinks chilled with ice.<ref name=rsc/>

{{transliteration|ja|Kakigōri}} is a Japanese dessert made with ice and flavoured syrup. The origins of {{transliteration|ja|kakigōri}} date back to the Heian period in Japanese history, when blocks of ice saved during the colder months would be shaved and served with sweet syrup to the Japanese aristocracy during the summer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3023286/nice-ice-baby-whats-those-pricey-kakigori-shaved-ice-desserts|title=Nice ice, baby: what's in those pricier Japanese shaved ice desserts|date=18 August 2019|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|access-date=8 April 2020|archive-date=22 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522050531/https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3023286/nice-ice-baby-whats-those-pricey-kakigori-shaved-ice-desserts|url-status=live}}</ref> {{transliteration|ja|Kakigōri}}'s origin is referred to in ''The Pillow Book'', a book of observations written by Sei Shōnagon, who served the Imperial Court during the Heian period.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Cartwright |first1=Mark |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/The_Pillow_Book/|title=The Pillow Book|website=World History Encyclopedia|date=20 April 2017 |access-date=8 April 2020|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413143109/https://www.worldhistory.org/The_Pillow_Book/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/09/26/news/natural-ice-becoming-popular-source-for-shaved-frozen-treat/|title=Natural ice becoming popular source for shaved frozen treat|first1=Nao|last1=Yako|date=26 September 2019|website=Honolulu Star-Advertiser|language=en-US|access-date=9 April 2020|archive-date=17 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817024609/https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/09/26/news/natural-ice-becoming-popular-source-for-shaved-frozen-treat/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The earliest known written process to artificially make ice is known not from culinary texts, but the 13th-century writings of Syrian historian Ibn Abi Usaybi'a in his book "Kitab Uyun al-anba fi tabaqat-al-atibba" (Book of Sources of Information on the Classes of Physicians) concerning medicine in which Ibn Abi Usaybi'a attributes the process to an even older author, Ibn Bakhtawayhi, of whom nothing is known.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Weir |first1=Caroline |last2=Weir |first2= Robin |title=Ice Creams, Sorbets & Gelati:The Definitive Guide |date=2010 |page=217}}</ref>

Ice cream production became easier with the discovery of the endothermic effect.<ref name=ocss>{{cite book |editor-last=Goldstein |editor-first=Darra |title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets |date=2015}}</ref> Prior to this, cream could be chilled easily but not frozen. The addition of salt lowered the melting point of ice, drawing heat from the cream and allowing it to freeze.

===Early modern=== [[File:Matkakulfi.jpg|thumb|right|Kulfi in a matka pot from India]] In the 16th century, the Mughal Empire used relays of horsemen to bring ice from the Hindu Kush to its capital, Delhi, used to create kulfi, a popular frozen dairy dessert from the Indian subcontinent often described as traditional Indian ice cream.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-18 |title=Kulfi: India's classic frozen dessert |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230717-kulfi-indias-creamy-frozen-dessert |access-date=2026-05-16 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sekhsaria |first=Peeyush |date=2023-04-29 |title=How the kulfi originated |url=https://www.thehindu.com/children/how-the-kulfi-originated/article66746444.ece |access-date=2026-05-16 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Although Delhi has been described as the birthplace of kulfi, Australian food historian Charmaine O'Brien suggests :

"...it is likely that [kulfi] originally evolved in the cooler climates of Persia or Samarkand and that the Mughals appropriated the concept and elaborated on it to create the creamy, perfumed dessert that it now is."<ref name = "Obrien">{{cite book|author=Charmaine O'Brien|title=Flavours of Delhi: A Food Lover's Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xeSXAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT71|year=2003|publisher=Penguin Books Limited|page=71|isbn=9789351182375 }}</ref>

=== Europe === The technique of freezing was not known from any European sources prior to the 16th century.<ref name=ocss/> During the 16th century, authors made reference to the refrigerant effect that happened when salt was added to ice. By the latter part of the 17th century sorbets and ice creams were made using this process.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Day |first=Ivan |title=Cooking in Europe, 1650-1850 |date=2009 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-34625-5 |location=Westport, Conn. |oclc=428816114}}</ref>

Ice cream's spread throughout Europe is sometimes attributed to Moorish traders, but more often Marco Polo. Though it is not mentioned in any of his writings, Polo is often credited with introducing sorbet-style desserts to Italy after learning of them during his travels to China.<ref name=weir/> According to a legend, the Italian duchess Catherine de' Medici introduced flavoured sorbet ices to France when she brought Italian chefs with her to France upon marrying the Duke of Orléans (Henry II of France) in 1533.<ref name="Cool">{{cite book |last=Powell |first=Marilyn |year=2005 |title=Cool: The Story of Ice Cream |url=https://archive.org/details/coolstoryoficecr0000powe |location=Toronto |publisher=Penguin Canada |isbn=978-0-14-305258-6 |oclc=59136553 |url-access=registration }}</ref><ref name="CIA">{{cite book |last=Migoya |first=Francisco J. |title=Frozen Desserts |publisher=The Culinary Institute of America |year=2008 |isbn=978-0470118665 |pages=2}}</ref> However, no Italian chefs were present in France during the Medici period,<ref>{{Cite web |title=La table de la Renaissance. Le mythe italien |url=https://core.ac.uk/reader/161230480 |access-date=2 May 2023 |archive-date=27 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427172605/https://core.ac.uk/reader/161230480 |url-status=live }}</ref> and ice cream already existed in France before de Medici was born.<ref name="Backer-2011">{{Cite journal |last=Backer |first=Kellen |date=June 2011 |title=Jeri Quinzio. Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2009. xvi + 279 pp. ISBN 978-0-520-24861-8, 16.95 (paperback). |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/enterprise-and-society/article/abs/jeri-quinzio-of-sugar-and-snow-a-history-of-ice-cream-making-berkeley-ca-university-of-california-press-2009-xvi-279-pp-isbn-9780520248618-3500-cloth-isbn-9780520265912-1695-paperback/171B0CCD2FE01C3B49649BA64310120E |journal=Enterprise & Society |language=en |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=453–455 |doi=10.1093/es/khq071 |issn=1467-2227 |access-date=2 May 2023 |archive-date=27 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427161045/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/enterprise-and-society/article/abs/jeri-quinzio-of-sugar-and-snow-a-history-of-ice-cream-making-berkeley-ca-university-of-california-press-2009-xvi-279-pp-isbn-9780520248618-3500-cloth-isbn-9780520265912-1695-paperback/171B0CCD2FE01C3B49649BA64310120E |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> One hundred years later, Charles I of England was reportedly so impressed by the "frozen snow" that he offered his own ice cream maker a lifetime pension in return for keeping the formula secret, so that ice cream could be a royal prerogative.<ref>{{cite web |last=Goff |first=H. Douglas |url=https://www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/book-page/ice-cream-history-and-folklore |title=Ice Cream History and Folklore |work=Dairy Science and Technology Education Series |publisher=University of Guelph |access-date=9 August 2008 |archive-date=13 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113051723/https://www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/book-page/ice-cream-history-and-folklore |url-status=live }}</ref> There is no evidence to support these legends.<ref name=weir>{{cite book |last1=Weir |first1=Caroline |last2=Weir |first2= Robin |title=Ice Creams, Sorbets & Gelati:The Definitive Guide |date=2010 |page=9}}</ref><ref name=rsc>{{cite book |last=Clarke |first=Chris |title=Science of Ice Cream |year=2004 |url=https://archive.org/details/scienceicecream00clar_002 |url-access=limited |publisher=Royal Society of chemistry |page=[https://archive.org/details/scienceicecream00clar_002/page/n21 4]}}</ref>

==== France ==== In 1665, the {{lang|fr|Catalogue des Marchandises rares...}}, edited in Montpellier by Jean Fargeon,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fargeon |first=Jean |title=Catalogue des marchandises rares…, op. cit., p. 16., op. cit., p. 16..}}</ref> listed a type of frozen sorbet. While the composition of this sorbet is not provided, Fargeon specified that it was consumed frozen using a container that was plunged into a mixture of ice and saltpetre. These sorbets were transported in pots made of clay and sold for three livres per pound.

According to {{lang|fr|L'Isle des Hermaphrodites}},<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thomas |first=A. |title=L'Isle des Hermaphrodites, op. cit., p. 108. Planhol X. de, L'eau de neige…, op. cit., p. 168-172 et 179-181.}}</ref> the practice of cooling drinks with ice and snow had already emerged in Paris, particularly in the court, during the 16th century. The narrator notes that his hosts stored ice and snow, which they later added to their wine. This practice slowly progressed during the reign of Louis XIII and was likely a necessary step towards the creation of ice cream.<ref>{{Cite book |title=La glace et ses usages. |date=1999 |editor=Aline Rousselle |isbn=978-2-35412-382-6 |location=Perpignan |publisher=Presses universitaires de Perpignan |oclc=1366226853}}</ref> In 1682, {{lang|fr|Le Nouveau confiturier françois}} provided a recipe for a specific type of ice cream, called {{lang|fr|"neige de fleur d'orange"}}.<ref name="Backer-2011"/>

In 1686, Italian Francesco dei Coltelli opened an ice cream café in Paris, and the product became so popular that during the next 50 years, another 250 cafés opened in Paris.<ref>{{cite book|last=Visser|first=Margaret|title=Much Depends on Dinner|publisher=Grove Atlantic Press|year=1999|edition=illustrated|page=297|isbn=978-0-8021-3651-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iijF4QSwPssC|access-date=13 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.procope.com/|title=Restaurant Le Procope|publisher=procope.com|language=it|access-date=13 May 2009|archive-date=9 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309041331/http://www.procope.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The first recipe in French for flavoured ices appears in 1674, in Nicholas Lemery's {{lang|fr|Recueil de curiositéz rares et nouvelles de plus admirables effets de la nature}}. Recipes for {{lang|it|sorbetti}} saw publication in the 1694 edition of Antonio Latini's {{lang|it|Lo Scalco alla Moderna}} (The Modern Steward). Recipes for flavoured ices begin to appear in François Massialot's {{lang|fr|Nouvelle Instruction pour les Confitures, les Liqueurs, et les Fruits}}, starting with the 1692 edition. Massialot's recipes result in a coarse, pebbly texture. Latini claims that the results of his recipes should have the fine consistency of sugar and snow.<ref name="Cool" />

==== England ==== The first recorded mention of ice cream in England was in 1671. Elias Ashmole described the dishes served at the Feast of St George at Windsor for Charles II in 1671 and included "one plate of ice cream".<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Davidson |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Davidson (food writer) |title-link=The Oxford Companion to Food |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |date=2014 |editor=Tom Jaine |others=Illustrated by Soun Vannithone |isbn=978-0-19-967733-7 |edition=3rd |publisher=Oxford University Press |oclc=890807357 |page=403}}</ref> The only table at the banquet with ice cream on it was that of the King.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal | last=Stallings | first=W.S. Jr. |date=November 1979 |title=Ice Cream and Water Ices in 17th and 18th Century England |journal=Petit Propos Culinaires |issue=3| pages=1–32 | doi=10.1558/ppc.29570 }}</ref> The first recipe for ice cream in English was published in ''Mrs. Mary Eales's Receipts,'' in London in 1718:<ref>{{cite book |first=Mary |last=Eales |year=1985 |title=Mrs. Mary Eales's Receipts |orig-year=1718 |isbn=0-907325-25-4 |publisher=Prospect Books |location=London |oclc=228661650|title-link=Mrs. Mary Eales's Receipts }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20735/20735-h/20735-h.htm#ice_cream|title=Mrs. Mary Eales's Receipts|website=www.gutenberg.org|access-date=29 March 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924205032/http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20735/20735-h/20735-h.htm#ice_cream|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Grace |first=Maria |title=How Jane Austen Kept her Cool - An A to Z History of Georgian Ice Cream |publisher=White Soup Press |year=2018 |isbn=9780998093796 |location=Great Britain}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

thumb|right|Noblewomen eating ice cream in a French caricature, 1801

{{blockquote| To ice cream.

Take Tin Ice-Pots, fill them with any Sort of Cream you like, either plain or sweeten'd, or Fruit in it; shut your Pots very close; to six Pots you must allow eighteen or twenty Pound of Ice, breaking the Ice very small; there will be some great Pieces, which lay at the Bottom and Top: You must have a Pail, and lay some Straw at the Bottom; then lay in your Ice, and put in amongst it a Pound of Bay-Salt; set in your Pots of Cream, and lay Ice and Salt between every Pot, that they may not touch; but the Ice must lie round them on every Side; lay a good deal of Ice on the Top, cover the Pail with Straw, set it in a Cellar where no Sun or Light comes, it will be froze in four Hours, but it may stand longer; then take it out just as you use it; hold it in your Hand and it will slip out. When you wou'd freeze any Sort of Fruit, either Cherries, Raspberries, Currants, or Strawberries, fill your Tin-Pots with the Fruit, but as hollow as you can; put to them Lemmonade, made with Spring-Water and Lemmon-Juice sweeten'd; put enough in the Pots to make the Fruit hang together, and put them in Ice as you do Cream.|''Mrs. Mary Eale's Receipts'' (1718)}}

[[File:Art of Cookery frontispiece.jpg|thumb|left|Title page to ''The Art of Cookery'' by Hannah Glasse]] The 1751 edition of ''The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy'' by Hannah Glasse includes a recipe for ice cream: "H. GLASSE Art of Cookery (ed. 4) 333 (heading) To make Ice Cream...set it [the cream] into the larger Bason. Fill it with Ice, and a Handful of Salt."<ref name=oed>''Oxford English Dictionary'', 3nd ed. 2012 [https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/90780 ''s.v.'' 'ice cream']</ref> {{lang|fr|L'Art de Bien Faire les Glaces d'Office}} by M. Emy, in 1768, was a cookbook devoted to recipes for flavoured ices and ice cream.<ref name="Cool" />

In 1769 Domenico Negri, an Italian confectioner, founded a business in Berkeley Square London which would become famous for its ice creams.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=David |first=Elizabeth |title=Harvest of the cold months. |date=1996 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=0-14-017641-1 |location=London |oclc=59649098}}</ref> His shop was at the Sign of the Pineapple (an emblem used by confectioners) and his trade card said he sold "All Sorts of English, French and Italian wet and dry'd Sweet Meats, Cedrati and Bergamot Chips, Naples Diavoloni, All sorts of Baskets & Cakes, fine and Common Sugar plums", but most importantly, "all Sorts of Ice, Fruits and creams in the best Italian manner."<ref name=":3" />

In 1789, Frederick Nutt, who served an apprenticeship at Negri's establishment, first published ''The Complete Confectioner''. The book had 31 recipes for ice creams, some with fresh fruit, others with jams, and some using fruit syrups. Flavours included ginger, chocolate, brown breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nutt |first=Frederick |date=25 July 2022 |title=The Complete Confectioner or The Whole Art of Confectionary Made Easy: Also Receipts for Home-made Wines, Cordials, French and Italian Liqueurs &c |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WgMqAAAAYAAJ |url-status=live |publisher=S. Leigh and Baldwin Cradock, and Joy |publication-date=1819 |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406094251/https://books.google.com/books?id=WgMqAAAAYAAJ }}</ref>

=== North America === An early North American reference to ice cream is from an account in 1744 of a dinner held by governor Thomas Bladen and his wife: "...after which came a Dessert no less Curious. Among the Rarities of which it was Compos'd, was some fine Ice Cream, which, with the Strawberries and Milk, eat most Deliciously." <ref>{{cite journal |title=Journal of William Back |journal=The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography |date=1877 |volume=1 |page=126 |url=https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniamag39penngoog/page/126/mode/2up |access-date=28 July 2025}}</ref><ref name=oed/>

Who brought ice cream to the United States first is unknown.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 July 2012 |title=Explore the History of Ice Cream {{!}} The History Kitchen |url=https://www.pbs.org/food/stories/explore-the-delicious-history-of-ice-cream|author-first1=Tori|author-last1=Avey|access-date=4 May 2023 |website=PBS Food |language=en-US |archive-date=17 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717103238/https://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/explore-the-delicious-history-of-ice-cream/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Confectioners sold ice cream at their shops in New York and other cities during the colonial era. Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson were known to have regularly eaten and served ice cream. Records, kept by a merchant from Chatham street, New York, show George Washington spending approximately $200 on ice cream in the summer of 1790. The same records show president Thomas Jefferson having an 18-step recipe for ice cream.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idfa.org/news-views/media-kits/ice-cream/the-history-of-ice-cream|title=The History of Ice Cream|publisher=International Dairy Foods Association|website=www.idfa.org|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-date=19 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219043336/http://www.idfa.org/news-views/media-kits/ice-cream/the-history-of-ice-cream|url-status=live}}</ref> Although it is incorrect that Jefferson introduced ice cream to America, as is popularly believed, he did help to introduce vanilla ice cream.<ref name="Myers 2007">{{cite book |last=Myers |first=Richard L. |url=https://archive.org/details/100mostimportant0000myer |title=The 100 Most Important Chemical Compounds: A Reference Guide |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0313337581 |edition=1. publ. |location=Westport, Conn. |page=[https://archive.org/details/100mostimportant0000myer/page/292 292] |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August–September 2015 |title=Myths of Monticello |url=https://gardenandgun.com/articles/myths-of-monticello/ |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=Garden & Gun}}</ref> First Lady Dolley Madison, wife of U.S. President James Madison, served ice cream at her husband's Inaugural Ball in 1813.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idfa.org/news-views/headline-news/article/2012/06/27/when-you-celebrate-independence-day-don%27t-forget-the-ice-cream|title=When You Celebrate Independence Day, Don't Forget the Ice Cream|author=|date=27 June 2012|publisher=International Dairy Foods Association|access-date=29 May 2014|archive-date=24 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224141035/http://www.idfa.org/news-views/headline-news/article/2012/06/27/when-you-celebrate-independence-day-don%27t-forget-the-ice-cream|url-status=live}}</ref>

Small-scale hand-cranked ice cream freezers were invented in England by Agnes Marshall and in America by Nancy Johnson in the 1840s.<ref>{{cite book|page=283|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lpOqTUucwhUC&q=ice+cream+machine+in+1843+england|title=Cooks and Other People|author=Walker, Harlan|year=1996|publisher=Oxford Symposium|access-date=7 March 2013|isbn = 978-0907325727}}</ref>

=== Expansion in popularity === [[File:Agnes B Marshall.jpg|thumb|Agnes Marshall, "queen of ices", instrumental in making ice-cream fashionable]] [[File:Children in the Ghetto and the Ice-Cream Man. Chicago Ill. (FRONT).jpeg|thumb|Children in Chicago surround an ice cream vendor in 1909.]] thumb|J Podesta, Ice Cream maker's stall, Sydney Markets, c. 1910

In the Mediterranean, ice cream appears to have been accessible to ordinary people by the mid-18th century.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1093/pastj/gtt018 | issn = 0031-2746 | issue = 220 | pages = 35–78 | last = Calaresu | first = Melissa | title = Making and Eating Ice Cream in Naples: Rethinking Consumption and Sociability in the Eighteenth Century | journal = Past & Present | date = August 2013 }}</ref> Ice cream became popular and inexpensive in England in the mid-19th century, when Swiss émigré Carlo Gatti set up the first stand outside Charing Cross station in 1851. He sold scoops in shells for one penny. Prior to this, ice cream was an expensive treat confined to those with access to an ice house.<ref>{{cite news |first=Nick |last=Stephens |url=http://bordeaux-undiscovered.blogspot.com/2007/03/wine-flavoured-ice-cream.html |title=Wine Flavoured Ice Cream |publisher=Bordeaux-Undiscovered |date=28 March 2007 |access-date=4 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727132607/http://bordeaux-undiscovered.blogspot.com/2007/03/wine-flavoured-ice-cream.html |archive-date=27 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Gatti built an 'ice well' to store ice that he cut from Regent's Canal under a contract with the Regent's Canal Company. By 1860, he expanded the business and began importing ice on a large scale from Norway.

In New Zealand, a newspaper advertisement for ice cream appeared in 1866, claiming to be the first time ice cream was available in Wellington.<ref>{{Cite news|date=27 January 1866|title=Advertisements|volume=XXI|page=5|work=Wellington Independent|issue=2315|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WI18660127.2.15.1|access-date=10 April 2021|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410052002/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WI18660127.2.15.1|url-status=live}}</ref> Commercial manufacturing was underway in 1875.<ref>{{Cite news|date=17 November 1875|title=Advertisements|volume=XII|page=3|work=Evening Post|issue=119|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP18751117.2.17.5|access-date=10 April 2021|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410051934/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP18751117.2.17.5|url-status=live}}</ref> Ice cream rapidly gained in popularity in New Zealand throughout the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Newey|first=Chris|title=The history of ice cream in New Zealand|url=http://www.nzicecream.org.nz/history-nz-1930.htm|access-date=10 April 2021|website=New Zealand Ice Cream Manufacturers Association|archive-date=12 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212043119/http://www.nzicecream.org.nz/history-nz-1930.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> By 2018, exported ice cream products included new flavours such as matcha to cater to Asian markets.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries|url=https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/38930/direct|access-date=10 April 2021|pages=16–17|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410051934/https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/38930/direct|url-status=live}}</ref>

Agnes Marshall, regarded as the "queen of ices" in England, did much to popularize ice cream recipes and make its consumption into a fashionable middle-class pursuit. She wrote four books: ''The Book of Ices'' (1885), ''Mrs. A.B. Marshall's Book of Cookery'' (1888), ''Mrs. A.B. Marshall's Larger Cookery Book of Extra Recipes'' (1891) and ''Fancy Ices'' (1894) and gave public lectures on cooking. She even suggested using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream.

Ice cream soda was invented in the 1870s, adding to ice cream's popularity. The invention of this is attributed to American Robert Green in 1874, although there is no conclusive evidence to prove his claim. The ice cream sundae originated in the late 19th century. Some sources say that the sundae was invented to circumvent blue laws, which forbade serving sodas on Sunday. Towns claiming to be the birthplace of the sundae include Buffalo, Two Rivers, Ithaca, and Evanston. Both the ice cream cone and banana split became popular in the early 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moss |first1=Robert |title=The Complete History of Ice Cream Cones |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/ice-cream-cone-history |website=Serious Eats |access-date=28 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The History of the Ice Cream Cone |url=https://www.idfa.org/the-history-of-the-ice-cream-cone |website=International Dairy Foods Association |access-date=28 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Corris |first1=Tracy |title=The Banana Split: A Rich History |url=https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/banana-split-rich-history |website=Pennsylvania Center for the Book |access-date=28 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

The first mention of the cone being used as an edible receptacle for the ice cream is in ''Mrs. A.B. Marshall's Book of Cookery'' of 1888. Her recipe for "Cornet with Cream" said that "the cornets were made with almonds and baked in the oven, not pressed between irons".<ref name="whatscookingamerica.net">{{cite web|url=http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/IceCream/IceCreamCone.htm|title=History of Ice Cream Cone|last=Stradley|first=Linda|publisher=What's Cooking America|access-date=13 May 2008|archive-date=9 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509190148/http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/IceCream/IceCreamCone.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="historicfood.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.historicfood.com/Ice%20Cream%20Cone.htm|title=An 1807 Ice Cream Cone: Discovery and Evidence|last=Weir|first=Robert|publisher=Historic Food|access-date=February 7, 2026|archive-date=17 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517100822/http://www.historicfood.com/Ice%20Cream%20Cone.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ice cream cone was popularized in the US at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri.<ref name="whatscookingamerica.net"/>

The history of ice cream in the 20th century is one of great change and increases in availability and popularity. In the United States in the early 20th century, the ice cream soda was a popular treat at the soda shop, the soda fountain, and the ice cream parlour. During the American Prohibition, the soda fountain to some extent replaced the outlawed alcohol establishments such as bars and saloons.

Ice cream became popular throughout the world in the second half of the 20th century after cheap refrigeration became common. There was an explosion of ice cream stores and of flavours and types. Vendors often competed on the basis of variety: Howard Johnson's restaurants advertised "a world of 28 flavors", and Baskin-Robbins made its 31 flavours ("one for every day of the month") the cornerstone of its marketing strategy (the company now boasts that it has developed over 1,000 varieties).

One important development in the 20th century was the introduction of soft ice cream, which has more air mixed in, thereby reducing costs. The soft ice cream machine fills a cone or dish from a spigot. In the United States, chains such as Dairy Queen, Carvel, and Tastee-Freez helped popularize soft-serve ice cream. Baskin-Robbins later incorporated it into their menu.

Technological innovations such as these have introduced various food additives into ice cream, most notably the stabilizing agent gluten,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columnnn/nn030331.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030422233719/http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columnnn/nn030331.html |archive-date=22 April 2003 |title=Gluten sensitivity more widespread than previously thought |website=Colorado State University Extension |author=Pat Kendall |date=31 March 2003}}</ref> to which some people have an intolerance. Recent awareness of this issue has prompted a number of manufacturers to start producing gluten-free ice cream.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nestle.ca/haagen_dazs/en/Company/FAQ/index#Q13 |title=Haagen-Dazs: FAQ – Is Haagen Dazs Gluten Free? |publisher=Nestlé |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080202224331/http://www.nestle.ca/haagen_dazs/en/Company/FAQ/index#Q13 |archive-date=2 February 2008 }}</ref>

The 1980s saw thicker ice creams being sold as "premium" and "super-premium" varieties under brands such as Ben & Jerry's, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company and Häagen-Dazs.

== Composition == Ice cream is a colloidal emulsion made with water, ice, milk fat, milk protein, sugar and air.<ref name="Goff-1997-Colloidal">{{cite journal |last1=Goff |first1=H. Douglas |title=Colloidal aspects of ice cream—A review |journal=International Dairy Journal |date=June 1997 |volume=7 |issue=6–7 |pages=363–373 |doi=10.1016/S0958-6946(97)00040-X |url=https://stuff.mit.edu/afs/athena/course/other/kitchen-chem/www/research_papers/colloidal.aspects.ice.cream.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706050906/https://stuff.mit.edu/afs/athena/course/other/kitchen-chem/www/research_papers/colloidal.aspects.ice.cream.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2022 | issn=0958-6946 }}</ref><ref name="Goff-1993-Polysaccharides">{{cite journal |last1=Goff |first1=H. Douglas |last2=Caldwell |first2=K.B. |last3=Stanley |first3=D.W. |last4=Maurice |first4=T.J. |title=The Influence of Polysaccharides on the Glass Transition in Frozen Sucrose Solutions and Ice Cream |journal=Journal of Dairy Science |date=May 1993 |volume=76 |issue=5 |pages=1268–1277 |doi=10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(93)77456-1 |url=https://stuff.mit.edu/afs/athena/course/other/kitchen-chem/www/research_papers/stability.commercial.ice.cream.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809075516/https://stuff.mit.edu/afs/athena/course/other/kitchen-chem/www/research_papers/stability.commercial.ice.cream.pdf |access-date=6 July 2022|archive-date=9 August 2017 }}</ref> Water and fat have the highest proportions by weight creating an emulsion that has a dispersed phase as fat globules. The emulsion is turned into foam by incorporating air cells which are frozen to form dispersed ice cells. The triacylglycerols in fat are nonpolar and will adhere to themselves by Van der Waals interactions. Water is polar, thus emulsifiers are needed for dispersion of fat. Also, ice cream has a colloidal phase of foam which helps in its light texture. Milk proteins such as casein and whey protein present in ice cream are amphiphilic, can adsorb water and form micelles which will contribute to its consistency. The proteins contribute to the emulsification, aeration and texture. Sucrose, which is a disaccharide, is usually used as a sweetening agent. Lactose, which is sugar present in milk, will cause freezing point depression. Thus, on freezing some water will remain unfrozen and will not give a hard texture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/Courses/ce457_527/ce457_pro/Colloidal%20and%20surface%20phenomenal%20aspects%20of%20Ice%20cream.doc|title=Colloidal and surface phenomenal aspects of ice cream|access-date=21 October 2017|archive-date=25 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525233245/http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/Courses/ce457_527/ce457_pro/Colloidal%20and%20surface%20phenomenal%20aspects%20of%20Ice%20cream.doc|url-status=live}}</ref> Too much lactose will result in a non-ideal texture because of either excessive freezing point depression or lactose crystallization.<ref>{{cite book |title=Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry |chapter=Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts}}</ref>

== Retail sales == [[File:Mystic Ice Cream flavor selection sign.jpg|thumb|right|A selection of ice cream flavours available at an ice cream shop in Fruitland Park, Florida]] [[File:Ice-cream stand in New Castle, Delaware.jpg|thumb|Ice cream stand in New Castle, Delaware]] Ice cream can be mass-produced and thus is widely available in developed parts of the world. Ice cream can be purchased in large cartons (vats and squrounds) from supermarkets and grocery stores, in smaller quantities from ice cream shops, convenience stores, and milk bars, and in individual servings from small carts or vans at public events. In 2015, the US produced nearly {{convert|900|e6gal}} of ice cream.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dairy Products 2015 Summary|url=https://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/DairProdSu//2010s/2016/DairProdSu-04-28-2016.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819121545/http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/DairProdSu//2010s/2016/DairProdSu-04-28-2016.pdf |archive-date=19 August 2016 |url-status=live|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=5 July 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Indonesia bike34.JPG|thumb|A bicycle-based ice cream street vendor in Indonesia]] [[File:East Village ice cream truck.jpg|thumb|Ice cream truck in East Village, Manhattan]]

== Ingredients and legal definitions == [[File:Black sesame soft ice cream.jpg|thumb|Soft serve black sesame ice cream in Japan]]

Many countries have regulations controlling what can be described as ice cream.

In the United Kingdom, Food Labelling Regulations (1996) set a requirement of at least 5% milk fat and 2.5% milk protein in order to be sold as ice cream within the UK. In rest of the European Union, a trade organization called European Ice Cream Association calls for minimum dairy fat content of 5%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=foodmanufacture.co.uk |date=2010-05-20 |title=New ice cream definition would boost reformulation work |url=https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2010/05/21/New-ice-cream-definition-would-boost-reformulation-work |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=foodmanufacture.co.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref> In 2015, these regulations were relaxed so that containing milk fat or protein was no longer necessary in the UK for a product to be sold as "ice cream", though at least 5% milk fat is still required for a product to be labeled "dairy ice cream". After this change, many UK products labelled as "ice cream" substitute milk fat with cheaper alternatives like palm oil, coconut oil, and vegetable fats.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-29 |title=Half of UK vanilla ice creams contain no fresh milk or cream |url=https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/markets-and-trends/dairy-markets/half-of-uk-vanilla-ice-creams-contain-no-fresh-milk-or-cream |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=Farmers Weekly |language=en-US}}</ref>

In the US, the FDA rules state that to be described as "ice cream", a product must have the following composition:<ref>{{cite web|title=§135.110 Ice cream and frozen custard|url=https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=e54b8eb5678cea336e79c0d72e07944d&mc=true&n=sp21.2.135.b&r=SUBPART&ty=HTML|publisher=FDA.gov|access-date=15 September 2019|archive-date=23 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223141953/https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=e54b8eb5678cea336e79c0d72e07944d&mc=true&n=sp21.2.135.b&r=SUBPART&ty=HTML|url-status=live}}</ref>

* greater than 10% milk fat * 6 to 10% milk and non-fat milk solids: this component, also known as the milk solids-not-fat or serum solids, contains the proteins (caseins and whey proteins) and carbohydrates (lactose) found in milk

It generally also has:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/book-page/ice-cream-mix-ingredients |title=Ice Cream Ingredients |access-date=15 September 2019 |work=Dairy Science and Technology Education Series |first=H. Douglas |last=Goff |publisher=University of Guelph |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801180312/https://www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/book-page/ice-cream-mix-ingredients |url-status=live }}</ref>

* 12 to 16% sweeteners: usually a combination of sucrose and glucose-based corn syrup sweeteners * 0.2 to 0.5% stabilizers and emulsifiers * 55 to 64% water, which comes from the milk or other ingredients

These compositions are percentage by weight. Since ice cream can contain as much as half air by volume, these numbers may be reduced by as much as half if cited by volume. In terms of dietary considerations, the percentages by weight are more relevant. Even low-fat products have high caloric content: Ben and Jerry's No-Fat Vanilla Fudge, for instance, contains {{convert|150|Cal|kJ}} per half-cup due to its high sugar content.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columnnn/nn000725.html |title=Ice Cream – What's in a Scoop? |first=Pat |last=Kendall |access-date=9 August 2008 |publisher=Colorado State University |date=25 June 2000 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080530044709/http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columnnn/nn000725.html |archive-date = 30 May 2008}}</ref>

According to the Canadian Food and Drugs Act and Regulations, ice cream in Canada is divided into "ice cream mix" and "ice cream". Each has a different set of regulations.<ref name="Branch">{{Cite web|url=https://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/C.R.C.,_c._870/page-54.html#h-571733|title=Consolidated federal laws of canada, Food and Drug Regulations|last=Branch|first=Legislative Services|date=3 June 2019|website=laws.justice.gc.ca|access-date=16 July 2019|archive-date=2 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902010955/https://www.laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/C.R.C.,_c._870/page-54.html#h-571733|url-status=live}}</ref>

* "Ice cream" must be at least 10 percent milk fat, and must contain at least {{convert|180|g}} of solids per litre. When cocoa, chocolate syrup, fruit, nuts, or confections are added, the percentage of milk fat can be 8 percent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/C.R.C.,_c._870/page-53.html#h-76|title=Consolidated federal laws of canada, Food and Drug Regulations|last=Branch|first=Legislative Services|website=laws.justice.gc.ca|language=en|access-date=6 July 2017|archive-date=13 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713042200/http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/C.R.C.,_c._870/page-53.html#h-76|url-status=live}}</ref> * "Ice cream mix" is defined as the pasteurized mix of cream, milk and other milk products that are not yet frozen.<ref name="Branch"/> It may contain eggs, artificial or non-artificial flavours, cocoa or chocolate syrup, a food colour, an agent that adjusts the pH level in the mix, salt, a stabilizing agent that does not exceed 0.5% of the ice cream mix, a sequestering agent which preserves the food colour, edible casein that does not exceed 1% of the mix, propylene glycol mono fatty acids in an amount that will not exceed 0.35% of the ice cream mix, and sorbitan tristearate in an amount that will not exceed 0.035% of the mix.<ref name="Branch"/> Ice cream mix may not include less than 36% solid components.<ref name="Branch"/>

== Physical properties == thumb|left|Ice cream sandwich

Ice cream is considered a colloidal system. It is composed by ice cream crystals and aggregates, air that does not mix with the ice cream by forming small bubbles in the bulk and partially coalesced fat globules. This dispersed phase made from all the small particles is surrounded by an unfrozen continuous phase composed by sugars, proteins, salts, polysaccharides and water. Their interactions determine the properties of ice cream, whether soft and whippy or hard.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Physical Properties of Foods: Novel Measurement Techniques and Applications|url=https://archive.org/details/physicalproperti00aran_779|url-access=limited|last=Arana|first=Ignacio|date=2012|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1439835364|page=[https://archive.org/details/physicalproperti00aran_779/page/n398 385]}}</ref>

=== Ostwald ripening === [[File:Magnum ice cream.jpg|thumb|right|Chocolate-glazed Magnum ice cream bar]]

Ostwald ripening is the explanation for the growth of large crystals at the expense of small ones in the dispersion phase. This process is also called migratory recrystallization. It involves the formation of sharp crystals. Theories about Ostwald recrystallization admit that after a period of time, the recrystallization process can be described by the following equation:

Where r (0) is the initial size, n the order of recrystallization, and t a time constant for recrystallization that depends on the rate R (in units of size/time).

To make ice cream smooth, recrystallization must occur as slowly as possible, because small crystals create smoothness, meaning that r must decrease.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ice Cream|url=https://archive.org/details/icecream00goff|url-access=limited|last1=Hartel|first1=Richard W.|last2=Goff|first2=H.Douglass |publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4614-6095-4|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/icecream00goff/page/n366 358], 359|date= 2013|edition=7th}}</ref>

== Around the world ==

Around the world, different cultures have developed unique versions of ice cream, suiting the product to local tastes and preferences.

=== Overview === {{Main|List of ice cream varieties by country}}

[[File:Italian ice cream.jpg|thumb|Gelato in Rome, Italy]] Italian ice cream, also known as gelato, is a traditional and popular dessert in Italy. Much of the production is still hand-made and flavoured by each individual shop in ''gelaterie a produzione propria''. Gelato is made from whole milk, sugar, sometimes eggs, and natural flavourings. It typically contains 4–9% fat, less than ice cream's minimum of 10%.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gelato vs. Ice Cream: What's the Difference? |url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/gelato-vs-ice-cream-whats-the-difference|author-first1=Amy|author-last1=Reiter|author-first2=Fraya|author-last2=Berg|date=18 March 2022|website=Food Network |access-date=28 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref> Per capita, Australians and New Zealanders are among the leading ice cream consumers in the world, eating {{convert|18|L}} and {{convert|20|L}} each per year respectively, behind the United States where people eat {{convert|23|L}} each per year.<ref name="Ibisworld">{{cite web |year=2005 |url=http://www.ferret.com.au/articles/31/0c02a331.asp |title=Business Outlook: ice cream manufacturing (based on a report to be found through www.ibisworld.com.au) |publisher=Reed Business Information |access-date=3 March 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427031709/http://www.ferret.com.au/articles/31/0c02a331.asp |archive-date=27 April 2006 }}</ref>

''Ice Golas'' are a summer treat consisting of shaved ice packed into a popsicle form on a stick and soaked in flavoured sugar syrup, a popular choice being ''kala khatta'' in India, made from the sweet and sour jamun fruit.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 May 2017 |title=The Long & Fascinating History Behind Ice Gola, India's Go-To Summer Treat |url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/102452/ice-gola-summer/ |access-date=27 November 2022 |website=The Better India |language=en-US |archive-date=27 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127071708/https://www.thebetterindia.com/102452/ice-gola-summer/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In Puerto Rico a popular dessert is the Piragua, shaved ice put into a cone shaped cup, with different syrup flavors poured on top of the ice. Vendors walk on sidewalks and near the beach with a small cart containing a huge block of ice and 10 to 15 bottles containing fruit syrups such as Tamarindo and Parcha.

In Spain, ice cream is often in the style of Italian gelato. Spanish {{lang|es|helado}} can be found in many cafés or speciality ice cream stores. While many traditional flavours are sold, cafés may also sell flavours like nata, viola, crema catalana, or tiramisu. In the 1980s, the Spanish industry was known for creating many creative and weird ice cream bars.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 July 2017 |title=Así inventamos el Frigo pie, el Drácula, el Calippo y el Twister |url=https://verne.elpais.com/verne/2017/07/06/articulo/1499326164_567700.html |access-date=25 October 2022 |website=Verne |language=es |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001233021/https://verne.elpais.com/verne/2017/07/06/articulo/1499326164_567700.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, 14{{nbsp}}million adults buy ice cream as a treat, in a market worth £1.8{{nbsp}}billion (according to a report produced in 2024).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imarcgroup.com/uk-ice-cream-market | title=UK Ice Cream Market Size, Share and Trends Report, 2033 }}</ref> In the United States, ice cream made with just cream, sugar, and a flavouring (usually fruit) is sometimes referred to as "Philadelphia style"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/PEACH-ICE-CREAM-PHILADELPHIA-STYLE-101911 |title=Peach Ice Cream, Philadelphia Style |access-date=24 September 2008 |publisher=CondéNet, Inc., reprinted from William Morrow and Co.'s The Ultimate Ice Cream Book |author=Weinstein, Bruce |year=1999 |archive-date=25 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025113728/http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/PEACH-ICE-CREAM-PHILADELPHIA-STYLE-101911 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ice cream. Ice cream that uses eggs to make a custard is sometimes called "French ice cream". American federal labelling standards require ice cream to contain a minimum of 10% milk fat. Americans consume about 23 litres of ice cream per person per year—the most in the world. According to the NPD Group, the most popular ice cream flavours in the U.S. are vanilla and chocolate with a combined market share of 40% as of 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foodchannel.com/articles/article/the-top-15-most-popular-ice-cream-flavors/ |title=The Top 10 Most Popular Ice Cream Flavors |date=8 June 2022 |publisher=The Food Network |access-date=25 June 2022 |archive-date=23 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323124823/http://www.foodchannel.com/articles/article/the-top-15-most-popular-ice-cream-flavors/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Cones == {{Main|Ice cream cone}} [[File:GreenSoft icecream.jpg|upright|thumb|A green tea ice cream cone]]

''Mrs A. B. Marshall's Cookery Book'', published in 1888,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rabelaisbooks.com/pages/books/6347/mrs-a-b-marshall-agnes-b-marshall/mrs-a-b-marshalls-cookery-book-with-seventy-illustrations |title=Mrs. A.B. Marshall's Cookery Book, with seventy illustrations. |work=Rabelais fine books |access-date=21 December 2019 |archive-date=21 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221180739/https://www.rabelaisbooks.com/pages/books/6347/mrs-a-b-marshall-agnes-b-marshall/mrs-a-b-marshalls-cookery-book-with-seventy-illustrations |url-status=dead }}</ref> endorsed serving ice cream in cones.<ref name="www.canalmuseum.org.uk">{{cite web|title = The Ice House – ice trade and ice cream|url = http://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/ice/marshall.htm|access-date = 17 November 2009|archive-date = 31 January 2009|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090131210955/http://canalmuseum.org.uk/ice/marshall.htm|url-status = live}}</ref> Agnes Marshall was a celebrated cookery writer of her day and helped to popularize ice cream. She patented and manufactured an ice cream maker and was the first to suggest using liquefied gases to freeze ice cream after seeing a demonstration at the Royal Institution.

Reliable evidence proves that ice cream cones were served in the 19th century, and their popularity increased greatly during the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. According to legend, an ice cream vendor at the fair ran out of cardboard dishes. The vendor at the Syrian waffle booth next door, unsuccessful in the intense heat, offered to make cones by rolling up his waffles. The new product sold well and was widely copied by other vendors.<ref name="historicfood.com"/><ref name="whatscookingamerica.net"/>

== Cryogenics == [[File:Homemade ice cream, à la NASA (9322643051) (cropped).jpg|thumb|NASA staff at the Goddard Space Flight Center making ice cream with liquid nitrogen]]

In 2006, some commercial ice cream makers began to use liquid nitrogen in the primary freezing of ice cream, thus eliminating the need for a conventional ice cream freezer.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.subzeroicecream.com/press/coldfacts2006.pdf|title=Mmmm...Cryogenically Frozen Ice Cream|journal=Cold Facts|year=2006|volume=22|issue=3|pages=6–7|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070331031542/http://www.subzeroicecream.com/press/coldfacts2006.pdf|archive-date=31 March 2007}}</ref> The preparation results in a column of white condensed water vapour cloud. The ice cream, dangerous to eat while still "steaming" with liquid nitrogen, is allowed to rest until the liquid nitrogen is completely vaporized. Sometimes ice cream is frozen to the sides of the container, and must be allowed to thaw.

Good results can also be achieved with the more readily available dry ice, and authors such as Heston Blumenthal have published recipes to produce ice cream and sorbet using a simple blender.<ref>Heston At Home- Heston Blumenthal</ref>

== Notes == {{Notelist}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} {{Wiktionary}} * [https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/selected-internet/icecream.html Selected Internet Resources – Ice Cream / Science Reference Section, Library of Congress]

Category:Ice cream Category:Frozen desserts Category:Types of food Category:World cuisine