Ice cream facts

The meaning of the term  ice cream varies from one country to another. Term like frozen custard, frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles. Ancient Persians mastered the technique of storing ice  inside giant naturally-cooled refrigerators known as yakhcchals. These structures kept ice brought in from the winter, or from nearby mountains, well into the summer. They worked by using tall wind catchers that kept the sub-level storage space at frigid temperatures.

Ancient civilizations have served ice for cold foods for thousands of years. The BBC reports that a frozen mixture of milk and rice and used in china around 200 BC. The Roman Emperor Nero had ice brought from the mountains and combined with fruit toppings. These were some early chilled delicacies. Ice cream was the favorite dessert for the caliphs of Baghdad. Arabs were the first to use milk as a major ingredient in its production, sweeten the ice cream with sugar rather than fruit juices, as well as perfect ways for its commercial production. As early as the 10th century, ice cream was widespread amongst many of the Arab world’s major cities, such as Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo. Their version of ice cream was produced from milk or cream and often some yoghurt similar to Ancient Greek recipes, flavored with rosewater as well as dried fruits and nuts. It is believed that this was based on older Ancient Arab, Mesotamian, Greek or Roman recipes, which were probably the precursors to Persian faloodeh.

Some historians claim that in the age of Emperor yinzong, Song Dynasty (960-1279) of China, a poem named Ode to the ice cheese was written by the poet Yang Wanli. Actually, this poem was named “Ode to the pastry” a kind of food like pastry in the western world. It has nothing to do with ice cream. It  is also claimed that in the Yuan Dynasty ,Kublai khan enjoyed ice cream and kept it a royal secret until Marco Polo visited China and took the technique of making ice cream to Italy. In any case, no known ice cream recipes appear to stem from ancient Chinese sources. In sixteenth century, the Mughal emperors used relays of horsemen to bring ice from the Hindu Kush to Delhi, where it was used in fruit sorbets.

The first recipe for flavored ice in French appears in 1674. The development of industrial refrigerator by German allowed commercial mass production of ice cream and the birth of the modern ice cream industry. The most common method for producing ice cream at home is to use an ice cream maker. A newer method of making home-made ice cream is to add liquid nitrogen to the mixture while stirring it using a spoon or spatula. Some ice cream recipes call for making a custard, folding in whipped cream, and immediately freezing the mixture.