We’re a day late with this announcement, but we wanted to wish a very happy third birthday to the Ice Cream Journal. That’s right, three years ago the Journal burst onto the scene as one of the only all-ice cream blogs in existence and it’s stronger than ever today thanks to thousands of ice cream loving readers! And with that, here’s a another edition of Ask Ernie:
JANICE K. OF SCRANTON, PA ASKS: What was the first ice cream flavor ever?
Good question, Janice. We’d all like to think it was chocolate chip cookie dough or Moose Tracks, but that’s not the case.
We know in the 4th century B.C. that Roman emperor Nero sent servants into the mountains to retrieve snow, which was then flavored with honey, nuts and other fruit toppings, but that’s not really ice cream because it contains no milk or cream. Some of the earliest frozen treats to use milk and cream originated in the Middle East around the 10th century A.D. These desserts (I’m assuming they were eaten for dessert) were also flavored with fruit and nuts.
But if you’re looking for the first modern ice cream recipes — the stuff that most closely resembles the ice cream we know and love today — you’ll have to go back in time to 18th century England and America. It was then that one of the earliest ice cream recipes was printed in a book called Mrs. Mary Eale’s Receipts. Mrs. Eale describes making ice cream with “Cherries, Rasberries, Currants, or Strawberries.”
It was around this time, or maybe a little earlier, that Europeans were working hard on perfecting the art of freezing flavored cream. They, too, added fruits to their recipes, but they also added grated cheese and candied orange flower. According to the article “Asparagus Ice Cream, Anyone?“, not all of their creations were successes, as in the case of the aforementioned pureed asparagus ice cream and foie gras ice cream (yes, duck livers).
So, it’s likely that the first ever ice cream flavor was some sort of fruit flavor. You’d be inclined to think the first flavor was vanilla, because vanilla is the base for so many other flavors, but that would require early ice cream makers to add vanilla bean or vanilla extract to their iced cream concoction and there’s no evidence of that in the earliest days. Still, vanilla was one of the first widely produced and enjoyed flavors of the modern era (19th century to the present). Even today, vanilla is the number one selling flavor in the world, which is quite an achievement considering all the other great flavors in existence!
Tags: ernie, ice cream, turkey hill
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If you’ve got a technical question about the ice cream making process or some other inquiry about the nuances of America’s favorite treat, chances are Ernie has the answer. He might not be able to answer all questions, but he’ll try his best and some may be featured on the Ice Cream Journal.
I am so happy to read that Mrs. Eale made ice cream with “Cherries, Rasberries, Currants, or Strawberries”. But for me the classic vanilla base still wins my taste buds.
Yay! Happy Birthday to the Ice Cream Journal!
Hi everyone I love the way mrs. Eale make her ice cream. I sometime make homemade ice cream too, I make vanilla and rum ice cream and blureberrie ice cream. I put alot of fresh blureberries in my ice cream.
I don’t know the history of flavors, but for me my first and last will always be chocolate vanilla swirl, the best of the best of two worlds.
Did you ever meet anyone who doesn’t love ice cream, no matter what the flavor. Yum, Yum,Yum!
Very interesting. I would have guessed vanilla too, but after thinking about it, Mrs. Eale’s recipe makes more sense for the time period. That sounds yummy, but please don’t ever try to feed me asparagus or duck liver ice cream. Yick!
I thought the response would be vanilla as you described. Interesting stuff thanks for sharing.
I had read somewhere that Jefferson was the first to serve ice cream in the White House. I have even seen an adaptation of the recipe – I think it was vanilla. Speaking of vanilla, that is not my favorite ice cream, but when it comes to homemade the best I ever made was based on a Martha Stewart recipe. Tt was out of this world! Although that might have been because it took two days (first you had to cook the custard, strain and chill it) and I was fatigued with aniticipation. It is soooo much simpler to drive 15 miles to my nearest supermarket and pick uo my TH Butter Pecan!
Happy Birthday to you ICJ!
has to be chocolate, Happy Birthday I love reading the articles
I love ice cream with fruit in it so I thank Mrs. Eale for the discovery. I just love Turkey Hill Banana Split. Mmm, my favorite………
As everyone else said – vanilla was my guess too. Fruit does make the most sense though considering the times. They all sound good to me – except of course for the asparagus & duck livers. No thanks…
Very interesting! Thanks, Janice for the question.
I kinda thought it would be a fruit flavor, that was my choice. Linda
Interesting. Happy birthday!
Interesting. I love most of the fruit flavors today. I wonder if they had black raspberries, haha
Nice little story.
I love your ice cream!
Italian ice is still fantastic. I would love to try a honey nut flavor…which would be great in ice cream, too. Hey, Ernie, how ’bout it?
It’s hard to beat Duetto “Caramel swirl and caramel with chocolate cone bits”.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Very interesting story.
That was a very thought provoking question from Janice. Thank Ernie for his research on getting the answer. We certainly have come a long way in the area of flavors – and Turkey Hill leads the way.
Another interesting question and answer with Ernie. He certainly knows his ice cream, even when Turkey Hill isn’t in the answer!
You learn something new and facinating with every issue of the Ice Cream Journal. Happy Birthday to the Journal.
Ok, I learned something new – I would have sworn it was Vanilla.
Any flavor will do…..as long as its TH !
I was all for vanilla but , as usual i was wrong. I’m just glad someone started someplace.
I thought it would’ve been vanilla
as long as ice cream was invented….it really doesn’t matter what the first flavor was, although it is very interesting…i would have never guessed!
I was surprised milk ice cream came from the middle east. I thought the “Garden of Eden” had only apples. Next you should get into the origins of “portable Ice Cream”. I heard cones started in St. Louis at the 1903 worlds fair when the vendor ran out of cups. Who invented ice cream on stick which around here are called pops and in the Midwest bars. Next the Good Humor truck which was the base of a movie before I was born.
Happy Birthday TH. The best ice cream on Earth. It is a great question and answer. I thought it would be vanilla. Thanks for the last 3 years.
That does seem logical, as fruits and nuts were among the basic foods from the first. TH does wonderful things with these ingredients…….
Happy Birthday to the Ice Cream Journal! I know you will provide many more years of fun!
Happy Birthday Ice Cream Journal!
You always make may days more delicious
Happy Birthday ICJ!
Thank you for a very interesting article!
Happy 3rd Birthday!!!!!!!!
What was the very first flavor that Turkey Hill made? How many flavors were marketed by Turkey Hill when the business first started? Happy, happy, happy birthday to the ice cream journal, and many thanks to whoever started it. GREAT idea!!!
I enjoyed that article just as I enjoy them all.
I read the article about asparagus ice cream – what strange tastes our ancestors had! I love rye bread but not in my ice cream!
Happy 3rd birthday! I love every flavor of Turkey Hill.
I love asparagus but not as ice cream.Give me chocolate any day!
It is very interesting, that the orgin of IC is sooooo old, we actually can’t pinpoint the date of conception. I however, can pinpoint the demise of IC as we know it. NEVER! The love of IC will last forever!
How time flies…has it really been 3 years….Chocolate is still my favorite flavor