August 24, 2017
Ice cream used to be illegal.
While most national food days are made up by just one guy, National Ice Cream day is an official holiday. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law on July 2, 1984.
The ending of the resolution states:
“Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That July 1984, is hereby proclaimed as ‘National Ice Cream Month,’ and July 15, 1984, as ‘National Ice Cream Day,’ and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe ice cream month and ice cream day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”
So yeah, even Reagan wants everyone to celebrate this day with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.”
The beauty of this day is that people can celebrate by enjoying the free ice cream deals that plenty of ice cream shops offer on this holiday. Although National Ice Cream Day 2017 has already passed, National Ice Cream Day 2018 is on July 15, so you have some time to prepare for the next one.
And of the ways you can prepare is by reading some fun facts about ice cream! Here are five things you probably didn’t know.
The first understanding of ice cream’s invention comes from 54 to 68 A.D., when Roman Emperor Nero supposedly sent his slaves to gather snow to create a mixture of snow, honey, nectar and fruit pulp. So, it wasn’t exactly ice cream, but close enough? The problem with this story, however, is that there isn’t any definite proof. Thus, some say it’s just a myth.
The most common theory told is that ice cream originated from China’s Tang period in 618 to 907 A.D., reports the BBC. The story claims that King Tang of Shang had 94 ice men to make this dish made of heated fermented milk, flour and camphor.
But according to PBS, Arabs were also drinking an icy refreshment called sherbert in medieval times. Europeans adopted this sweet drink as a special drink for the aristocracy. These drinks were then made into frozen desserts in the 17th century. Sorbetto, or more commonly known as sorbet, was then made when sugar was added. Antonio Latini, who worked for the Spanish Viceroy in Naples, is known as the first man to write down a recipe for sorbet. He also created a milk based sorbet, which a lot of people credit as the first official ice cream.
So while there isn’t a definitive answer to who invented ice cream, it seems that people all around the world have been creating their own versions of ice cream for centuries.
The first café to open in Paris in 1686 was owned by a Sicilian man named Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli. A lot of intellectuals such as Benjamin Franklin, Victor Hugo and Napoleon met at this café. The café also introduced gelato to French citizens. Procopio served the dessert in small porcelain bowls. Thanks to this history, Procopio became known as “Father of Italian Gelato.”
During that summer, President George Washington spent $200 on ice cream at this parlor. Records even show that he owned two ice cream pots made of tin and pewter.
The parlor was located on 76 Chatham Street and it was owned by a mysterious Mister Hall. The best part? Each serving cost only five cents.
Until 1800, the cold treat was only enjoyed by elites. But then insulated ice houses were invented. In 1851, Baltimore milk dealer Jacob Fussell pioneered the ice cream manufacturing industry.
And due to technological inventions such as refrigerators, electric power and motors and freezing processes, the industry soared. Today, Americans consume 20 quarts of ice cream per person.
In the late 19th century, the town of Evanston made it illegal to sell and consume ice cream sodas on Sunday. So, merchants found a loophole and replaced the carbonated drink with syrup. They then named the dessert ice cream Sunday, but later replaced the “y” with an “e” to remove any connection to the sabbath.
So, ice cream sundaes were invented due to religious people who viewed eating ice cream as a sin.
And, honestly, sometimes eating ice cream feels like committing a sin because it’s so good.
Eating ice cream was once banned and now it’s an official holiday created by Reagan where it’s law to eat ice cream on the National Ice Cream Holiday. So, I say, let’s remember the harsh times where people weren’t allowed to eat ice cream and dig into an entire carton in one sitting.
Good idea, no?
