The Guide

Many credit Dolley Madison — the wife of the fourth U.S. president, James Madison — with making ice cream popular, but the origins of the cool dessert go back much further than that.

According to the International Association of Ice Cream Manufacturers, the first notable ice cream maker was a French chef who brought the treat to England’s King Charles I in the 17th century. It was such a hit, the story goes, that Charles offered the cook 500 pounds to keep the recipe a secret.

Going back even further, there are stories of Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar requesting that snow and ice be brought in to cool his fruit juice and Marco Polo returning from the East with an early recipe for Italian ice. But it is the special combination of cream, sugar, and churning that makes for true ice cream.

Despite temperatures that often allow its creation on the sidewalk, New England is the nation’s top region for ice cream consumption. California is the largest producer among the states, followed by Indiana, Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, and New York.

― Matthew Robinson

Favorite Flavors

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Cool Dates

1807
The ice cream cone is introduced in Paris.

1851
Year of the first commercial production of ice cream, by Jacob Fussell of Baltimore, considered by many to be the father of the American ice cream industry.

1906
Clarence Clifton Brown “invents” hot fudge.

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Did You Know?

17.5 pints
Amount consumed in three hours by world record holder Andre Van Zijl of South Africa, who attempted the feat in an effort to raise money for his many neighbors suffering from AIDS.

$21.4 billion
Amount Americans spent on ice cream in 2004.

278 gallons
Amount of ice cream in world’s largest scoop, produced by 28 employees of the Carvel Corporation (the nation’s first retail ice cream chain) in 2002.

Top five ice cream producing states:

• California
• Indiana
• Texas
• Minnesota
• Illinois

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Hot Spots for Cool Treats

» Oakland, Calif. — Dreyer’s/Edy’s (dreyers.com; edys.com)
Dreyer’s (a subsidiary of Nestlé, which also produces Häagen-Dazs) has the largest market share of any packaged ice cream in the U.S. The ice cream is marketed as Dreyer’s west of the Rockies, including Houston, and as Edy’s east of the Rockies. (Continental offers Dreyer’s and Edy’s ice cream with toppings on all BusinessFirst flights and select domestic and international first class flights.)

» Brenham, Texas — Blue Bell Creameries (bluebell.com)
To keep cool, ice cream’s the rule deep in the heart of Texas. It’s no wonder that this locally run company has been churning out cool treats for more than 100 years.

» Waltham, Mass. — Lizzy’s (lizzysicecream.com)
As ice cream is New England’s favorite cool snack, we had to pick a spot there. This contemporary parlor offers a party-in-a-box, which includes all the ice cream and toppings to please any connoisseur. — M.R.

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