What is Your Favorite Flavor?
July is National Ice Cream month and with temperatures heating up, it’s never been a better time to cool down with this tasty treat. The official celebration began back in 1984 when it was first introduced by Representative Kika de la Garza of Texas. That same year, it was signed into law by Ronald Reagan with “National Ice Cream Month” observed in July, and “National Ice Cream Day” held on the third week of July.
Today’s total annual production of ice cream in the United States is more than 1.6 billion gallons. in 2020, total sales reached $6.97 billion, representing an increase of 13.4% over the previous year. According to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) most ice cream companies are family-owned and have been in operation for more than 50 years with Americans consuming approximately 23 gallons each year.
Ice cream has been around since the 13th century when Marco Polo returned from traveling China with a recipe similar to ice cream. It was then introduced to the United States in the 1700s as a delicacy enjoyed by the elite. Then, once ice houses were invented and manufacturing took off in America in the 1800s, a Baltimore milk dealer named Jacob Fussell helped expand the industry.
Some Cool Facts About this Frozen Treat
The most popular flavor is chocolate followed by: vanilla, strawberry, butter pecan, mint chocolate chip.
In 2012, the world’s largest ice cream cone weighed 2,204 pounds and 13 feet tall, courtesy of Gloucester, UK.
New Zealand consumes more ice cream per capita than any other country—an average of 7.5 gallons per person per year.
The US is second, with an average of 5.5 gallons per person per year—which is equivalent to 44 pints.Master ice cream taster John Harrison for Edy’s Ice Cream insured his tongue for $1 million dollars.
To make one gallon of ice cream, you need 12 pounds of milk.
Ice cream cones were invented at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis by vendors so people could eat ice cream easily at the fair.
A dairy cow can produce enough milk for about 9000 gallons of ice cream in its lifetime.
To help you celebrate, here’s the scoop on where to find 17 of the most awesome ice cream shops in the DMV, enjoy!
