
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)
- New Zealand: 7.5
- United States: 5.5
- Australia: 4.8
- Finland: 3.8
- 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.