Ice cream is the dessert you know you can always rely on. Whether it's after a tough break up or you just want to go to town on a pint of Peanut Butter Cup Halo Top for no reason at all.
But with the plethora of ice cream options and flavors at our disposal, have you ever wondered which one started it all? Well, let's go on a journey to the past (sorry, Anastasia fan here) and find out what was the first ice cream flavor ever invented.
Some Mediterranean Origins
According to the International Dairy Foods Association, one of the first recorded ice cream enthusiasts was Alexander the Great. While exact dates are murky, the IDFA dates ice cream's origins all the way back to 2 B.C. One early incarnation of ice cream, in particular, came from Alexander the Great, who was known to enjoy snow and ice flavored with honey and nectar.
Some other historical figures who were fans of ancient ice cream (emphasis on the ice) were King Solomon, who would have iced drinks during harvesting. Nero Claudius Caesar, during the height of the Roman Empire, also sent aides into the mountains for snow to flavor with fruits and juices.
What about Marco Polo, though?
While the IDFA might say 2 B.C., there are also theories that Marco Polo was the one who originally introduced Europe to ice cream. The story goes that he brought an unidentified flavor of ice cream, well, sherbet really, back to Italy from China, who invented ice cream, in 3000 B.C. Then just like with macarons, Florentine Catherine de' Medici introduced the French to ice cream in 1553 when she married Henry II.
But what about ice cream's origins in the country that was "young, scrappy, and hungry"?
The very first account of ice cream in the "New World" hails from a letter written by a guest of Maryland Governor, William Bladen, in 1744. Although, ice cream also had fans among the famous founding fathers, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, unsurprisingly.
As you Hamilton fans might recall, Thomas Jefferson was an undisputed Francophile, so much so that he even had a stock of French recipes, including one for gourmet vanilla ice cream. Aside from vanilla favoritism in the colonies, First Lady Dolley Madison also popularized strawberry ice cream by making a "magnificent" version for her husband's second inaugural banquet.
So, what was the first ice cream flavor? While every region has its own variation, the first-recorded flavor seems to be Alexander the Great's ice concoction mixed with honey and nectar. Luckily, ice cream has come a long way from its icier origins. Now, we have a treat we can keep inside a freezer for whenever we have a craving for something sweet either post-swim or post-midterm.