Cool Facts: Ice Cream History

Few people can resist the creamy, frosty texture of ice cream. This is why ice cream is often referred to as The Great American Dessert.

However, ice cream didn't have its origins in America; early descriptions of an iced dessert can be traced as far back as the 4th century B.C. Later, Roman Emperor Nero enjoyed an ice and fruit concoction, and ordered ice to be brought down from the mountains for this very purpose. The Chinese also created frozen milk recipes, and its likely that early ice creams were first brought from China to Europe by explorers.

Naturally, ice cream made its progression from the royal circles of Europe and eventually landed on North American shores. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were known to serve ice cream to their guests in the 1700s. Dolly Madison started selling ice cream mainstream in 1812.

Today, ice cream (originally called iced cream) has grown to one of the most popular desserts of all time. There are dozens of ice cream franchises and many people even make homemade ice cream thanks to personal ice cream makers.

The preferences in ice cream vary from person to person. Some prefer hard ice cream while others enjoy smooth soft varieties (British chemists discovered a method of doubling the amount of air in ice cream creating soft ice cream). Despite there being hundreds of flavor possibilities, vanilla, chocolate, and a tie for butter pecan and strawberry top the list of the most popular.