By: Amelia Wang
President Ronald Regan was famous for his love of jellybeans. However, America’s 40th president seemed to also have enjoyed ice cream. In 1984, he issued Proclamation 5219. It proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of each July as National Ice Cream Day. People in America are urged to celebrate the month with fun activities, such as eating as much ice cream as possible.
The most modern ice cream recipe, which uses milk and sugar as the main ingredients, was created by the Arabs in the 9th century. Europeans discovered the delicious treat in the 16th century. In the US, the first record of ice cream being made was not until 1744, when Maryland Governor Thomas Bladen served it to his guests.
Fortunately, the US has made up for missing out in past years. People in America are the largest consumers of ice cream worldwide, eating an average of 20 pounds of ice cream per year. Each year, Americans spend $6 billion on ice cream. Although California produces the most ice cream out of any state, the states with the biggest fans are Washington, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
Nowadays, there are thousands of recorded ice cream flavors around the world. However, vanilla still beats them all as the top choice globally. Other top contenders are chocolate, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, and cookies & cream. Surprisingly, there’s been a trend of adding unique ingredients to ice cream that isn’t actually that strange. A cookbook from 1790 has recipes for making Parmesan, ginger, and even brown bread-flavored ice cream.
Your favorite ice cream flavor may depend on your personality. The founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, Dr. Alan Hirsch, believes your favorite flavor reflects your traits. For example, people who love vanilla are believed to be impulsive. Fans of chocolate are lively, charming, and a bit dramatic. Strawberry enthusiasts are often introverts, while mint chocolate chip fans can be cautious.
The frozen dessert’s popularity makes it often a choice for setting Guinness World Records. In 2023, Andre Ortolf from Germany set a record for eating the most ice cream, which was 1.25 pounds in 30 seconds. Back in 2018, Italy’s Dimitri Panciera earned a world record for balancing the most scoops, 125, on a single cone. His remarkable feat, broadcasted live, was witnessed by millions of people around the world.