The fascinating story of ice cream, Part I
THE FASCINATING STORY OF ICE CREAM
I doubt whether the world holds for anyone a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream.
~Heywood Broun
Have you ever met a person who doesn’t love ice cream? I have not!
Ice cream - it tastes better than any other dessert, creamy, smooth, soft, cold, mouth-watering flavors. It is served after a meal for dessert, during a meal as a digestive sorbet, eaten during a passeggiata, on a hot day to cool down, on a cold day just for the pure pleasure. It lifts up the spirit, it helps a child feel better, and it evokes wonderful childhood memories.
Voltaire said it well:
“Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn't illegal.”
~Voltaire
The origins of ice cream is traced back to antiquity, albeit not in the form we know today. There are many references in ancient texts, both in ancient texts and in archeological findings.
In the Bible, Isaac offers Abraham goat milk mixed with snow, one of the first references to ‘ice cream’.
In ancient Troy pits designed to preserve ice and snow have been found during archeological excavations.
Historical tradition says that King Solomon was a frequent user of frozen drinks, and that Alexander the Great continuously ate snow mixed with fruit and honey during his marches and battles. Records show that Alexander had his slaves bring ice down from the mountains into the trenches during the siege of Petra.
Some researchers have concluded that the origin of ice cream goes back three thousand years BC in China. It is an improbable conclusion, certainly it wasn’t the form of ice cream we know today. What is true, however,is the fact that the Chinese did discover how to conserve winter ice for summer use by storing it in ice-houses.
Marco Polo brought back from China the information of how to artificially freeze a mixture of water and saltpeter.
Egyptian Pharaohs served a granita like dessert during banquets. Supposedly Cleopatra offered Caesar and Anthony fruit mixed with ice.
Ancient Romans produced their nivatae potiones(my best translation is ‘iced drinks’ or ‘drinks cooled with snow’).
Snow was brought to Rome from the volcano Vesuvius,and from Etna in Sicily.
General Quinto Fabio Massimo invented a type of sorbet, and Emperor Nero offered his guests a drink made with cut up fruit, honey, and snow. (I suppose he kept cool eating his snow concoctions while Rome burned!)
Towards the end of the IX century, the Arabs who invaded Andalusia(Spain)and Sicily brought with them the cultivation of sugar cane, and citrus fruit. The Arabs used sugar syrup instead of honey as a sweetener.
In Sicily sugar cane was grown in the area of Mount Etna, as were oranges and lemons (these fruits were known to the Greeks and Romans but were not eaten because they were too acrid). Etna snow was combined with fruit juices and sugar syrup,creating a sorbet.
The word sorbet comes from the Arabic word scherbet (probably derived from the Turkish word chorbet), meaning sweetened snow.
Long before the Arabs invaded Sicily, snow from Etna had been brought down to the towns in baskets, surrounded by hay and salt. Then it was deposited in deep cellars where it kept for several months. In fact Etna snow and ice was a thriving trade business with Rome and other Mediterranean areas.
Returning Crusaders from the Holy Land brought back recipes for sorbets made from citrus fruit, mulberries, and jasmine.
During Middle Ages the sorbets and other ‘refined’ foods, disappeared from the culinary offerings. After all these foods were synonymous with sin!
The discovery of the New World in the 1500s (technically 1492) marked the end of the Middle Ages. With the end of the Middle Ages, ice cream as we know it today began its voyage to heavenly deliciousness! The art of living and eating well was revived once again.
The Renaissance brought many changes to the literary as well as the culinary world. It also brought a lot of controversy about who should be given the credit for the new era in ice cream making.
A Florentine, Catherine de’ Medici is given credit, by some, for bringing the sorbet to the court of Francis I (1494-1547) when she married the Duc d’Orleans (Henri II). It is thought that she brought her staff along to cook for her and her family. One of her chefs was a young man named Ruggeri. Ruggeri had participated in a contest to prepare ‘the most singular dish that had ever been prepared’. It seems that Ruggeri prepared an iced dessert, using old recipes and adding ‘a tad of fantasy’. The sorbet impressed the judges who declared “we have never tasted a dessert so exquisite before now’! Catherine and the Duc d’Orleans were married in Marseilles where during the wedding banquet Ruggeri served his sorbet. The year was 1533.
Generally,Florence(Italy)gets the credit for the first ice cream (gelato). A Florentine who was the architect to the Royal Court of the Medici family, Bernardo Buontalenti, was hired to organize luxurious events for their banquets. He was responsible for the stage constructions, theater events, fireworks, and food. For one of his food creations he invented frozen desserts made with zabaglione and fruit (Buontalenti had a good knowledge of chemistry).It is recorded that in 1565 the Medici were to receive a delegation from Spain. A sumptuous feast was prepared by Buontalenti which included a gelato. The happy Spaniards spread the word throughout Europe about the delicious gelato.
Truth or myth, the Florentines Ruggeri and Buontalenti are both given credit for the birth of the ‘real’ ice cream.
FROM SICILY TO PARIS
The following is my favorite epoch for the story of ice cream. It deals with a Sicilian who adopted a name held by some of my ancestors, a famous café’ where coffee, gelato, and intellectual conversation flourished.
Francesco Cuto’ known as Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli was born in Sicily. His Baptismal record found in a church in Palermo shows that he was born February 9, 1651. His parents were Onofrio Cuto’ and Domenica Semarqua. Francesco added Procopio as his second name, and the French gave him the surname Couteaux meaning knife in French. Cuto’ is a homophone of cuteaux. Translated back into Italian Francesco is now known as Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli. Procopio is derived from Procopius, a famous historian who wrote “Secret History, the Anekdota” (published for the first time in 1623). (Although Procopio is one of my ancestral maternal surnames, I have absolutely no connection to the father of ice cream.)
Francesco’s grandfather was a fisherman who liked to build ‘ice cream machines’. The grandfather left his invention, called gelatiere in Italian, to his grandson. Francesco improved his grandfather’s machine and when he thought that he could produce gelato (Italian ice cream) on a large scale, he decided to travel to Paris to promote his new product.
Francesco began his career in Paris by selling refreshments, including lemonade and coffee, from a kiosk (lemonade stand).In 1686 Francesco opened his café’ named Le Procope, the French version of his adopted name. Le Procope was a great success and it has become the oldest continually functioning café’ in Paris and perhaps the world. Yes, Le Procope is still in business today, more than three hundred years later! It has been refurbished in the 18th –century style and is run as a restaurant.
Le Procope served the exotic (for those times) coffee, sorbets in many flavors including strawberry, etc. King Louis XIV personally handed Francesco a special royal license to sell a mélange of refreshments including spices, ‘frozen waters’ flavored with anise, orange, lemon, cinnamon, frangipan. And of course, his improved version of the Italian ‘ice cream’ gelato. It was this gelato that gave Francesco the distinction of being called “The Father of Italian Gelato”.
Clientele at Le Procope in 1743
Soon after Le Procope opened, the Comedie-Francaise also opened its doors. It was located across the street from the café’! The café’ became a famous cultural and political gathering place in the 18th and 19th centuries. Among notable people who frequented the café’ were Robespierre, Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine, Honore’ de Balzac, La Fontaine, Gambetta, Anatole France, Voltaire, Rousseau, Alain-Rene’ Lesage, Georges Danton, Jean-Paul Marat, Denis Diderot, Jean le Rond d’Alembert, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Paul Jones, Oscar Wilde, Henry Wadsworth, Longfellow, Napoleon Bonaparte, George Sand, George-Luis Leclerc.
There are many stories about the people who frequented Le Procope, the following are just a few:
Voltaire is the one with the raised hand.
Voltaire's desk at Le Procope
Voltaire (1694-1778) consumed forty cups of coffee a day at Le Procope! Hopefully they were demi-tasse cups! Today above the door at Le Procope are found the following words: ‘Café’ a’ la Voltaire’. It was Voltaire who said “Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal”.
Plaque at Le Procope to honor Ben Franklin
When in 1790 the news of Benjamin Franklin’s death reached Paris, Le Procope was draped in black in his honor.
During the French Revolution the café’ was a meeting place for many revolutionaries. The Phrygian Cap, the symbol of Liberty, was first displayed at Le Procope.
Napoleon frequently had to leave his hat at Le Procope while he went in search of money to pay for his coffee!
TO BE CONTINUED…. Part II will be the next blog. The topic will be about the journey of ice cream in America (Colonies-USA).
Cafe'Procope ice cream recipe: half a liter of cream (2 cups); 25 cl of milk (one cl equals 10 ml); an egg yolk; 375 grams of sugar (a little over 12 oz). This recipe is definitely very different than the flavored ices served until Procope came up with this recipe.
“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.” Georgia O'Keeffe
Reader Comments
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The lady who tangled with the beaver is home from the hospital. She looks like she went through an ordeal, and she did. Not to mention the painful injections to deal with the bites of a rabid animal.
This morning my hubby and I went out for breakfast. I had a Belgian Waffle, something that I like very much. However this particular one was not particularly good, it was like eating spongy air. Ugh! Hubby liked his French Toast, eggs,, etc. Now hubby is at the golf course. Yesterday was such a bad weather day that he decided to come back home without playing golf.
Have a wonderful afternoon everyone.
I am sorry you disliked the Belgium waffle.... When C was living in
Brussels we often indulged, hence we both put weight one whilst he was there!
Hope hubby enjoyed his golf today, and if he decided not to play yesterday it must have been raining hard.
I have a photo of the stall where we got our waffles, and once I am on the big computer, and not on this little iPad, I will post it for you :-)
Yesterday was not raining hard but it really was an ugly looking day, humid, gloomy, just not comfortable. Today it is hot and humid but the sun is shining and gold must be played! My hubby did very well two weeks ago and won the small amount of money awarded to the weekly winners. Hubby did NOT tell me about his 'achievement'! I found out through a friend (not the one with whom hubby plays golf) who also plays with the same group. It is a Senior Citizen group at the local golf course, they meet on Tuesdays. Anyways, hubby is a humble person and did not mention it. Of course he is in trouble for not telling me! Not really, I just teased him.
Yes, now and then I do post on Flickr, as you know. It is a way to stay in touch with a few people such as you. Besides I get to see your lovely photos.
Ok, I'll be on the lookout for the Belgian Waffles photo.
LOL, Bug!
It looks like you and I may have some wet weather today and tomorrow.
Right now, it's fine, so I got an early start on the
weekly wash. I'm hoping I can get Hubby's work clothes and the whites washed, dried and back inside by lunchtime or shortly thereafter. The rest of it is more easily hung inside, if need be. I don't think rain is expected until late this afternoon or early evening but I'm not taking any chances.
Hope you have a grand day today too. Enjoy.
So Hubby won some money on his game~~"way to go Hubby". I hope it was enough to take you out to dinner :)
Our Preachers husband works in D.C., coming home for the week-ends. Several weeks ago he was absent from church. As it turns out he stayed in D.C. for a golf tournament. He lost!
Nice photo of your morning glory in the main gallery today. As usually I gave it a 10.
Take care!
So the preacher's husband made the wrong choice! But as we all know, golf comes first! No, the $ collected from the Senior Group is less than $10, it is the idea of winning that gets the guys interested.
I am having a quiet Saturday. I have been typing most of the day, it takes me a long time to type a new blog. Typing is not my forte'! Thinking either these days! So the second half of the ice cream story will go up very soon.
Thank you for the comment on my photo and the rating. The last time I looked at the ratings It was 9.2, I guess somebody out there doesn't care for my photo or Morning Glories or the quote or all of the above! LOL
Bug, I see that you also hang your laundry to dry. No rain is not a good thing when you have your clothesline full! I remember hanging clothes to dry when I was a teenager and later when we lived in Upstate NY. However living in Northern VA it is not conducive to air drying one's clothes nor linens.
It will be interesting to see which one of us will get the most rain. I just read on FaceBook that there was a tornado in NY, and that it caused lots of damage. I have not seen this info on the news.
Alley, can you send me some of your nice weather? It is so humid right now that bugs stick to one's skin! Even Koko doesn't want to be out there.
Glad that you are well provisioned with tasty ice cream. We still have some Tahitian Vanilla Gelato, hubby is leaving it for me and I for him! Let's see how long this wait for the other will last.
Hi Kat, how are you?
Hi Ylee! It would be nice if we had some decent weather soon!
Have a safe and happy weekend everyone.
... A Tornado Warning remains in effect until 400 PM EDT for the city
of Fairfax... and Fairfax County...
At 333 PM EDT... a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Chantilly... or near the intersection of Highway 50
and I-66... and was moving east at 45 mph.
Locations impacted include...
Fairfax...
Mantua...
Merrifield...
the i66 and i495 interchange...
Annandale...
Ravensworth...
Take cover now. Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
sturdy building and avoid windows. If outdoors or in a Mobile home or
vehicle... move to the closest substantial shelter and protect
yourself from flying debris.
Motorists should not take shelter under Highway overpasses. As a last
resort... either park and stay in your vehicle... or abandon your
vehicle and lay flat in a low spot.
This tornado may be wrapped in rain and hard to see. Do not wait to
see or hear the tornado. Take cover now
Update, 3:50 p.m.: The National Weather Service reports that A TORNADAO HAS BEEN CONFIRMED by county officials near the city of Fairfax, moving east at 50 mph. TORNADO WARNING now til 4:15 p.m. central Fairfax County east to the D.C. line. In path of tornado: Alexandria, Huntington, Crystal City, Ballston, Woodrow Wilson Bridge, Nat’l Airport
I'll be back.
The storm is past, temperatures are down, and all is well here. I have heard of some damage around the region, one injury, and over a hundred thousand without power. Considering things, we did ok in this area.
Ylee, I see that you got my 'I'll be back' comment! He he. No, I have never seen any of Arnold's movies, and never will (not willingly anyways). I do not like violence even if it is make believe, and I do not like him for what he did to Maria/his family. Yes, I am being judgemental in this case.
Again, thank you for being so kind.
I had to run out and snatch my clothes off the line. There were some dark clouds building up.
My last load wasn't quite dry, so I hung a few things on my clothes racks in the front bedroom. I have two racks and they sure do come in handy. They fold up when not in use and I can store them behind the bedroom door.
I also have two of those over the door racks. I've had them for years.
Hard to type when one has to have one hand on a bag of frozen okra. I burned it when I was doing up the fresh jalapenos for my chicken dish. These are local and boy are they "hot" I always remove the seeds but this time the juice burned my left hand and I am having a hard time trying to get it to settle down. Nasty burn. I will have to be extra careful when using them. Never has happened before even with scotch bonnets but these peppers are outrageously hot to handle without gloves.
Anyway have a safe evening. Hope the worse of the bad weather is over and you can enjoy some of those nice cool temps we are getting.
Sometimes that happens when there's hotter peppers being grown too close to others. They'll cross pollinate. I've had hot bell peppers before, as well as hot banana peppers that were supposed to be the sweet ones. Just because all the peppers were planted together.
I will have to say that I've never gotten burned before. Other than the tongue and mouth. Them must be some really, really HOT peppers.
So sorry Alley, I hope that the frozen bag of okra will help. It may sound silly but do you think a milk bath of the hand might help?
Bug, glad that you rescued the clothes from the possible rain. You sure are prepared for drying indoors! By the way, did it rain?
Stay well Bug and Alley.
BTW, the milk seems to have helped the best. Still not l00% but better than it was...
As you said previously..... I will return!
Anyone in here lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming? Our RV is broken down there. See more info on my blog. Meanwhile my trip to Gold Beach, OR is on hold. :-(
Alley, so glad that your hand feels better. I must have read somewhere that milk helps and the info has stayed with me. I had to use it once when I was at a Thai restaurant and something that I ate almost killed me. Not just the burning but my throat closed up and could not breathe. I asked for milk which I tried to swallow a drop at a time, it helped and they called off the ambulance.
You sure like your food hot, I read the spices and herbs that you use on your chicken. If I want a little 'heat' I add a few flakes of dry hot pepper, or a little Tabasco. In Mexican cooking if needed, I use canned chilies.
Have a wonderful day, I hope that it is a gorgeous as ours. No humidity and nice and cool! It is our reward for last night's excitement.
Bug,Sandi and GG, good morning and have a wonderful day!
Have a wonderful day, the weather is indeed gorgeous here this morning. Windows are opened and a nice breeze is blowing through. Temps are 66F. Love it.
Hey, hot and picante just like you! He he!
Hope you have a nice Sunday!
Glad to hear that you and Koko enjoyed your 'crawl.' lol
It's a good bit cooler here this morning, as well; about 75F.
It's rather gloomy here this morning. Overcast. It rained again sometime last night but I haven't checked the gauge yet. I don't think it was much, though.
Alley, that chicken dish sounds lovely. I love peppers and spicy foods but I have to satisfy my craving for heat all by my lonesome. Hubby can't handle it. He doesn't like the heat as he eats and it messes with his stomach. So, when I make chili or something, I add fresh or pickled peppers, horseradish, hot sauce, etc. to my serving or on the side. If we go to a Chinese buffet, I'll head for the Szechuan section!
Bug, you and Alley should have a meal together. A superhot/picante meal! I'll watch! He, he.
I do make a rather hot chili con carne but within reason. I grew up on heat-less cuisine! My family did not indulge in picante foods, just spicy and tasty. I guess we eat what our taste buds can handle.
Second part of the blog will be up after I take my solo walk. See you later.
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