8 Little-Known Facts About Ice Cream

Photo by Bundesarchiv, Bild

Ice cream is one of summer's staples and even has a whole month dedicated to it. However, it is also one of the oldest desserts and has its own place in American history. In honor of National Ice Cream Month, we have compiled some of the most interesting and unknown facts about this delicious treat!

1. About 9% of the milk produced in the US is used for ice cream production. 
2. The origins of ice cream go back to even the time of Alexander the Great, making it so old that it has no one known inventor. 
3. Chocolate is believed to have been invented before vanilla. The recipe for frozen chocolate was published in a recipe book in Italy in 1692. 
4. Thomas Jefferson had his own recipe for vanilla-it was an elaborate, 18 step process. 
5. Professional ice cream tasters actually exist. 
6. The waffle cone was invented at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 due to a shortage of dishes. 
7. There is also a National Ice Cream Day on July 21. 
8. In Hawaii and parts of South America an ice cream bean plants grows. The white beans in the pod taste like vanilla ice cream. 

Do you know any interesting and little-known ice cream facts that we missed? Share them with us in the comments or on our Facebook or Twitter pages!