The two factors that contributed to ice cream’s meteoric rise in availability in the mid 19th century was the invention of machines to make ice and the lower cost of sugar. Prior to this period, ice was harvested from natural sources and sugar was a costly luxury item. Thankfully, we found a way to make both factors more readily available and affordable. Otherwise, we’d all be paying $45 for an ice cream cone today.
Posts Tagged ‘history’
DID YOU KNOW: WHAT STARTED THE ICE CREAM BOOM
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009DID YOU KNOW: THE HISTORY OF THE PENNY LICK?
Sunday, July 5th, 2009
In the mid-19th century through the early 20th century, ice cream street vendors would sell ice cream in glass containers called a “penny lick.” As the name implies, the sweet treat would cost just a penny.
The penny licks were made with a thick glass bottom with a depression at the top where the ice cream was served. Through the magic of the light and reflections, the glass would actually appear to be full of ice cream until hungry buyers discovered that it was only just a lick. But, for just a penny, they probably weren’t too upset.
With all those people using the same licks and often not a lot of time to give them a proper cleansing in between uses, it wasn’t long before questions about hygiene were raised. The solution was to serve ice cream in a pastry cup, which paved the way for the invention of the waffle cone!
DID YOU KNOW: EARLY ICE CREAM PEDDLERS WEREN’T WELL RECEIVED
Friday, May 29th, 2009
In today’s society, the ice cream man is a welcome distraction on a hot summer day. But it wasn’t always that way. In the 1850s, when ice cream vendors began selling their treats in the streets, people complained of what they thought was unsanitary conditions and of the poor quality of the ice cream. The vendor’s outspoken sales pitches were also deemed a public nuisance.
During this period, ice cream also hit the streets in London, at a time when Londoners were still unfamiliar with the treat. Said one writer, “The consumers had to use their fingers instead of a spoon, and no few seemed puzzled how to eat their ice, and were grievously troubled by its getting among their teeth. I heard one drover mutter that he felt ‘as if it had snowed in his belly!’”
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DID YOU KNOW: ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST?
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009In the 1930s, the Great Depression and the repeal of Prohibition made a serious dent in the sales of ice cream nationally. One insider was quoted, “The dime that went for soda now frequently goes for beer.”
Ice cream manufacturers tried all sorts of things to get people to buy ice cream again, including suggesting ice cream as a breakfast ingredient. One ad by the Hydrox Corporation exclaimed, “Ice Cream for Breakfast! Well, why not?” along with a suggestion for topping cereal with a scoop of your favorite ice cream flavor. Said the ad, “It is cream, you know.”
(P.S. – As many of you guessed, the answer to the question of which story was fake in our last post is #3. An eight-year ice cream headache is impossible, no matter how much ice cream you eat. And yes, the leaders of our government really do quarrel over issue like the “official state ice cream vendor.”)
DID YOU KNOW: THE MAN BEHIND THE FIRST ICE CREAM FACTORY
Monday, April 20th, 2009
Jacob Fussell is known as the “Father of the Ice Cream Industry” largely because he opened the first large scale ice cream factory in the U.S. in Baltimore, Maryland back in 1851. Back then, the average American ate just one teaspoon of ice cream per year (What?!). Today, the average person indulges in over 23 quarts per year!
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.