We All Scream for Ice Cream!

One of the most satisfying summer treats enjoyed by all ages is ice cream! It’s delicious, refreshing, and comes in a large variety of flavors and styles. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan took the country’s love of ice cream to the next level and declared July National Ice Cream Month. He even added that the third Sunday of the month would be National Ice Cream Day! President Reagan called for the people to observe this holiday with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.” I think we can all agree the most appropriate activity would be to actually eat ice cream, but let’s start with some history about this frosty treat.

The origin of ice cream dates back as far as the second century B.C., although there is no specific date or creator. Alexander the Great frequently enjoyed snow and ice flavored with honey and nectar. Roman Emperor, Nero Claudius Caesar, would send runners to the mountains to bring back snow which he then flavored with fruit and juices. Over 1,000 years later Marco Polo returned to Italy from the Far East with the recipe for something that resembled what we now call sherbet. Historians estimate the evolution from this sherbet-like recipe into ice cream happened sometime during the 16th century.

The first mention of ice cream in American history is found in a letter written in 1744. However, ice cream truly became a part of American history in 1777 when the first advertisement appeared in the New York Gazette. From that point forward the popularity of ice cream continued to grow. By the 1870s, soda fountain shops and ice cream parlors were opening everywhere. Ice cream even became a symbol of American morale. During WWII a “floating ice cream parlor” was invented and served ice cream to sailors who were serving in the western pacific.

From the 1940s to the 1970s ice cream production soared. Many ice cream parlors closed as more and more people began purchasing ice cream from grocery retailers. Now, forty years later, specialty ice cream stores have started to become very popular. They offer ice cream and desserts that are unique to them, a fun atmosphere for families, and that create a feeling of nostalgia for adults who in their youth visited the soda fountains and ice cream parlors of the past.

It is evident that ice cream is one of the most popular desserts in the United States. But just how popular is it? Let’s look at some of the statistics.

The average American consumes almost 22 pounds of ice cream per year.
U.S. ice cream companies made more than 872 million gallons of ice cream in 2014.
Vanilla is the most popular flavor with chocolate chip mint and cookies and cream coming in as the next most popular flavors.
In the U.S. last year people spent $13.7 billion on ice cream, and that doesn’t include restaurant sales.

Even with the growing popularity of frozen yogurt, ice cream still comes out on top of sales and production. July is national ice cream month, so why not celebrate? Take your family out to one of the nostalgic ice cream shops, or go to the store and buy a new flavor that you’ve never had before. Better yet, make your own ice cream and flavor it however you want! In these hot summer months a nice cold ice cream cone sounds great everyday, so let’s all SCREAM for ice cream this July!