Saturday, October 5, 2013

Ice Cream Trivia: Fun & Interesting Information

By Marquerite Velasquez


We may all scream for ice cream, but certainly everyone screams for different flavors and styles of this tasty and creamy treat. By far the most popular flavor of ice cream that is purchased is vanilla. Chocolate is a strong number two in terms of popularity, but the flavor in the No. 3 spot might actually surprise you a little. Butter pecan beat out flavors such as rocky road, strawberry and cookies and cream. In addition to these flavorful facts, here are few more interesting tidbits about ice cream.

Ice cream is definitely not a new kind of treat. It is said that the ancient Chinese invented this treat centuries ago. Ice cream has always been a big hit in the United States and even has been a favorite treat of several presidents, including Thomas Jefferson who often served it at his home Monticello. Dolley Madison put ice cream on the menu for the inauguration dinner of her husband, President James Madison, and Ronald Reagan ordered that July would forever become National Ice Cream Month. Studies have shown that on average, Americans eat 48 pints per person per year.

About 9 percent of all the milk produced in the United States goes toward the production of ice cream. While you certainly knew that milk was an important ingredient, you probably didn't know that the main ingredient in ice cream is actually air. In fact, about 40% of ice cream is air, but of course they don't list it on the side of the package. But don't feel like you are literally paying for nothing. In order to get that wonderful consistency and texture, air has to be added. Ice cream is whipped just as cream as whipped to make whipped cream.

One of the most popular ways to enjoy ice cream is by eating an ice cream sandwich, and when we think about this ice cream novelty, we generally conjure up an image of a rectangular block of vanilla ice cream with dark cookies wrapped in wax paper. This particular version of ice cream sandwich was developed and mass produced beginning around 1945. Earlier versions using different shapes and kinds of cookies were being sold even in the late 19th century.

For an upscale ice cream sandwich that you can't just buy at the grocery store, head over to Culver City and Yo Ku Mon. This ice cream shop's main specialty is their ice cream sandwiches, and these sandwiches are created using cookies that are baked fresh throughout the day on the premises.

You can mix and match any flavor of cookie or ice cream, and there are about one dozen varieties of ice cream and eight different kinds of cookies, from Indulgent Chocolate Chip to Red Velvet to Oatmeal Raisin. Best of all, each sandwich is just $2. They also serve cookies or ice cream alone, as well as shaved ice, so there is definitely something for everyone.




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