Ice cream has actually been around for some considerable time. It is thought that the Chinese first discovered how to conserve ice for use during the summer as early as the 8th Century BC and ice cream followed on soon after.
Early ice creams were made using naturally occurring snow and ice, with fruit juice added, so they were probably much less sweet than the ice cream we eat today.
It is however, widely believed that the recipe for basic ice cream was brought to Italy from China by the Italian explorer Marco Polo in the 13th Century.
Marco Polo
It is not, however, recorded as being eaten in Britain until 1671 when records show that King Charles ll ate ice cream at a meal held for the Order of the Garter, liked it and it's popularity grew at court as a result. It was however, very much the exclusive rights of the court and aristocracy at this particular point and really only became popular with the masses throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
Early ice creams were made using naturally occurring snow and ice, with fruit juice added, so they were probably much less sweet than the ice cream we eat today.
It is however, widely believed that the recipe for basic ice cream was brought to Italy from China by the Italian explorer Marco Polo in the 13th Century.
It is not, however, recorded as being eaten in Britain until 1671 when records show that King Charles ll ate ice cream at a meal held for the Order of the Garter, liked it and it's popularity grew at court as a result. It was however, very much the exclusive rights of the court and aristocracy at this particular point and really only became popular with the masses throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
