The Straight Scoop on Ice Cream

Fun facts about ice cream and other stuff you didn’t know about the world’s favorite frozen treat.

THE COOLEST DESSERT IN HISTORY

• 5th Century, B.C.: Ancient Greeks enjoy a dessert similar to ice cream.
• 1300s: Marco Polo brings an early form of ice cream to Europe.
• 1700s: Ice cream is introduced to America as a delicacy enjoyed by high society.
• 1776: America’s first ice cream parlor opens its doors in New York.
• 1840s: The ice cream churn is invented.
• 1851: The first ice cream plant is opened.
• 1880s: The ice cream sundae is born.
• 1904: The waffle cone reportedly makes its debut at the World's Fair in St. Louis, MO.
• 1929: Rocky Road becomes the first widely available flavor (other than vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.)
• 1984: July is declared National Ice Cream Month.
• Today: Next to cookies, ice cream stands as the best selling treat in America!

AS THE WORLD CHURNS

• Top 5 Ice Cream Consuming Countries in the World (per capita, gallons per year)
  1. New Zealand: 7.5
  2. United States: 5.5
  3. Australia: 4.8
  4. Finland: 3.8
  5. Sweden: 3.2
• The world’s tallest ice cream cone was over 9 feet tall. It was scooped in Italy.
• Most of the vanilla used to make ice cream comes from Madagascar & Indonesia.
• Chocolate syrup is the world’s most popular ice cream topping.

AMERICA LOVES ICE CREAM

• #1 Vanilla’s popularity rank in the US
• 87% of Americans have ice cream in their freezer at any given time.
• The average number of ice cream pints an American enjoys each year. 48
• California produces the most ice cream in America.

UDDERLY AMAZING!

• A cow gives enough milk to make: 2 gallons of ice cream per day. That’s 730 gallons per year.
• It takes 3 gallons of milk to make 1 gallon of ice cream.
• About 9% of all milk produced in the US is used to make ice cream.

PRETTY COOL, HUH?

A few things you probably didn’t know about ice cream

• It takes about 50 licks to finish a single-scoop ice cream cone.
• The perfect temperature for scooping ice cream is between 6° & 10°F.
• “Brain freeze” occurs when ice cream touches the roof of your mouth.
• 1 in 10 people admit to licking the bowl clean after eating ice cream.
• 1 in 5 share with their pet.