Discover the Scoop: Top 13 Fun Facts About Ice Cream You Never Knew!

1. Saffron's Golden Touch

Feeling saffr-on top of the world with a scoop of Persian ice cream? That golden flavor's worth its weight in, well, saffron: Bastani ice cream gets its luxurious touch from saffron, the world's most expensive spice. With 90% of the saffron supply coming from Iran, it takes 150,000 to 200,000 hand-picked flowers to produce just 1 kg, ensuring only the finest pistils create the boldest color and aroma for your frosty treat!
Source => saffronrosepersianicecream.com

2. Cone Confusion Cleared

Forget the 1904 World's Fair cone confusion, the real scoop on ice cream cones is much cooler: It all began when Italo Marchiony created the first ice cream cone in 1896 in New York City, obtaining a patent in December 1903, only for Ernest A. Hamwi to independently introduce a waffle-cone version in the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, kickstarting the delightful ice cream cone craze we devour today.
Source => idfa.org

Did you know gelato dates back to ancient Egypt, where guests were served fruit juices with snow? Discover how this icy treat evolved into Italy's famous dessert in 16th century Florence and spread across Europe!

=> Fun Facts about Gelato

3. Ice Cream in Space

If you thought a Milky Way was the only space-themed sweet treat, think again: in 2006, NASA sent actual ice cream cups from Blue Bell, vanilla with swirls of chocolate sauce, on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis, making it the first time real ice cream was enjoyed by astronauts in space, all thanks to a freezer called GLACIER.
Source => airandspace.si.edu

4. The Sundae Dispute

When two cities go to war, they mean sundae business: It's been a decades-long dispute between Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and Ithaca, New York, about which town brought the world the mouthwatering goodness of ice cream sundae. Two Rivers insists druggist Edward Berners made the first chocolate-sauce topped creation in 1881, while Ithaca is a sundae purist, insisting pharmacist Chester C. Platt’s 1892 vanilla masterpiece with cherry syrup and candied cherry, named the "Cherry Sunday", is the one true origin of this iconic treat.
Source => farmersalmanac.com

5. Spumoni: Nuts & Fruity Delight

Feeling a little nuts and fruity? An ice cream may just hit the spot, but make it spumoni for an Italian twist: This low-fat version features layers of cherry, pistachio, and either chocolate or vanilla ice cream, interspersed with fruit and nut layers, topped off with candied fruits, nuts, and a dollop of whipped cream – making it molto delizioso and popular among Italian communities in the United States, Brazil, and Argentina.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Jefferson's Vanilla Legacy

Before vanilla ice cream became the Founding Flavor of America and the sweet, frozen delight melted the hearts of many, there was a certain President with a fine taste for the ice-cold dessert: Thomas Jefferson may not have invented America's beloved vanilla ice cream, but he did contribute to its rise in popularity by serving his very own recipe at the President's House during his time in office. The recipe, crafted most likely by one of his staff like Adrien Pettit or James Hemings who trained with French chefs, called for good cream, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and a Sabottiere – the essential tool of the ice creamery trade.
Source => blog.aarons.com

7. Nancy Johnson's Hand-cranked Freezer

Before the hand-crank went cranky, bringing frozen delights with uncanny ease, Nancy Johnson was there, making everyone scream for ice cream like a timeworn Town Crier: In 1843, she invented the first hand-cranked ice cream freezer, revolutionizing the industry by allowing faster, more efficient production on a large scale, making this scrumptious treat affordable to all and leaving a lasting legacy on ice cream making technology.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Accidental Inventions: Slinky & Sundae

From springy mishaps to sweet scoops of serendipity, sometimes life just hands you a slinky or an ice cream sundae when you're not even looking: Both the slinky and the ice cream sundae were born out of accidental inventions - mechanical engineer Richard James stumbled upon the slinky in 1943 while attempting to create a spring for ships, and the scrumptious ice cream sundae came to being in the late 1800s when a customer innocently asked for ice cream with syrup, only to be gifted with whipped cream and a cherry on top as well.
Source => tropicalsunfoods.com

9. Philadelphia-style Ice Cream

Scooping up history in the city of brotherly love: Philadelphia-style ice cream, known for its presidential dinner appearances, gets its name from the city's renowned confectioners and features a delicious blend of cream, milk, and sugar without the custard base found in French-style ice cream.
Source => seriouseats.com

10. Marco Gelato's Flavor Twist

Marco Polo? More like "Marco Gelato"! Swapping out swimming pools for ice cream sundaes in this story of frozen treat fame, it turns out our intrepid explorer might not have stumbled upon this delectable dessert after all: Recent research suggests that ice cream actually originated in ancient China, with Marco Polo potentially bringing only the idea of adding flavors to these frosty confections back to Europe.
Source => lonelyplanet.com

11. Steve's Ice Cream Revolution

Scooping up a revolution one Heath Bar at a time: Steve Herrell opened the first Steve's Ice Cream shop in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1973, pioneering the premium ice cream trend and paving the way for the advent of Ben & Jerry's in Burlington, Vermont, five years later.
Source => newenglandhistoricalsociety.com

12. April Fool's Mashed Potato Prank

You scream, I scream, we all scream for...mashed potatoes? That's right, folks, that sweet sundae you thought you were indulging in might just be a spicy spoonful of deception: In the book "Prank-Lopedia: The Funniest, Grossest, Craziest, Not-Mean Pranks on the Planet," a popular April Fool's Day prank involves secretly replacing ice cream with instant mashed potatoes, red food coloring, and powdered mustard or wasabi, then packing it into an empty ice cream carton to fool unsuspecting victims.
Source => denverpost.com

13. Hawaiian Ice Cream & Teriyaki Treats

If you find yourself pine(ing)-apple for an icy Hawaiian treat, don't worry - teriyaki chicken won't be teri-awky for your tastebuds to handle: Dole Plantation in Hawaii not only offers their legendary Dole Soft Serve pineapple delight, but also serves up island favorites like teriyaki chicken plate, kalua pork plate, and loco moco at their Plantation Grille, and even includes classic options like cheeseburgers and hot dogs for those who aren't quite ready to hula their tastebuds around something more tropical!
Source => doleplantation.com