The first known history of ‘Ice Cream’ is thought to have began in 500BC in Persia. They combined ice with different flavours to produce summertime treats. Around 100 years later, the Persians invented a chilled food made with rose water and vermicelli, this was served to royalty during the summer months. Ice was mixed with saffron, fruits and various different flavours.
Many years later in the 18th century, England became aware of this lovely iced treat. The recipe for ice cream was published in Mrs. Mary Eales’s Receipts in London in 1718.
It was as follows:
“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.”
Ice cream has come a long way over the many years and is now a much loved treat by all, everywhere. There’s nothing better than seeing an ice cream van when you’re out and about in the summer. Even better if you’re at an event on a hot day. All ages can enjoy something together with this much-loved treat for all.