A World Of Flavours Online

Illawarra Mercury

Wednesday January 17, 2007

KILMENY ADIE

Typing the word ice-cream into google delivers a plethora of recipes, ideas, blogs and histories relating to the sweet treat.

In America, one person has established the blog A Daily Scoop in which they promise to review a different ice-cream outlet each day for a year.

All of the varieties are given a rating out of five for their flavour intensity, texture, originality and cone as well as an overall score.

Flavours the blogger has covered include Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey (banana and chocolate), Edy's Dibs Crunch chocolate bar and one that certainly won't be for everyone - Maggie Moo's Pumpkin Spice.

The first frozen desserts are believed to have been invented more than 2000 years ago. The Khalifs of Baghdad are credited by The Worldwide Gourmet website as creating a drink of syrups cooled with snow called sharbet (which, translated from Arabic, is fruit ice).

Alexander the Great's court had fruit ices - fruits mixed with honey and chilled by snow. Three hundred years later, Nero's guests enjoyed the same treat.

When Marco Polo returned from China in the 12th century with an ice-cream maker, he set about changing Italy's cuisine and creating an impact in the French court.

In 1660 a Sicilian named Procopio di Coltelli opened the first cafe in Paris where he not only sold coffee but also 80 different varieties of ice-cream.

At the end of the 19th century, following developments in refrigeration, ice-creams could be sold in the street and kept in ice boxes at home.

The first ice-cream cones made their appearance at the 1904 World's Fair in St Louis and the first ice pops appeared 20 years later.

Information from adailyscoop.com and theworldwidegourmet.com