Ice cream’s cool history

With the temperature in my area hovering around triple digit mark, eating only cold foods sounds like a splendid plan. Ice cream ranks near the top of the list of enjoyable cold foods – nothing beats a waffle cone heaped with scoops whatever flavor calls out to me that day. The origin story of ice cream, like many foods, is opaque, with many cultures laying claim to the decadent treat.

In a podcast for the BBC, Rajan Datar explores ice cream’s mythical history, “from the harvesting and flavoring of snow in China and the Middle East thousands of years ago, to the experimental kitchens of the European aristocracy.” Datar enlists the assistance of Robin Weir, author of Ice Creams, Sorbets and Gelati: The Definitive Guide; Iranian-American chef and cookbook author Najmieh Batmanglij; and Dr Melissa Calaresu of Cambridge University.

First, the trio debunks myths such as the common story that Marco Polo brought ice cream from China or that Emperor Nero forced slaves to bring down ice from the mountain to make ice cream. Weir explains that the first breakthrough for making the frozen concoction was discovering the endothermic effects of salt. This occurred hundreds of years ago, documented in China in the 7th to 9th century AD. Batmanglij posits that the first ice creams in Europe had distinctly Persian influences so we shouldn’t discount the role that culture played in the development of the frozen treat.

The talk includes a long discussion about the history of transporting ice around the world prior to the invention of mechanical refrigeration – and the role that women play in the latter’s development. Weir tells us about the long history savory side of ice cream, including cheese ice cream, which was detailed in a 17th-century book, while Calaresu explains that although people think that only the very wealthy were able to eat ice cream, in fact the poorer classes were also able to enjoy it. When you have finished listening to this fascinating episode, you’ll be headed straight to your favorite ice cream shop.