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For many of us, ice cream in the summer is perfectly tasteful debauchery at the best level. During the summer holidays, we eat them more willingly than with other goodies, and when the temperature bar becomes red, the ice cream tastes the best.
On a stick, in a cone, sold by scoops, in a cup with fruit and whipped cream, twisted Italian from a machine, vanilla, cream, chocolate or strawberry – each of us has our favorite form and taste of ice cream, which we like to eat above all else.
In the 90s of the last century, the most recognizable melody that heralded the upcoming ice catering was the signal emanating from the yellow bus made by Family Frost. When it got warm, the ice cream of this brand was distributed to the neighborhoods of larger cities, causing the smile of thousands of kids, including mine 😊 The characteristic melody emanating from the loudspeaker of the Family Frost car reminded children of the arrival of happiness.
Eating ice cream improves your mood and makes you happy
Each of us remembers more than one scene from the movie, when the main character, faced with worries and problems, reached from the refrigerator for a bucket of ice cream to soothe her sorrows. Bridget Jones was probably the record holder in this case and when she was betrayed she comforted herself with “only” a 3 liter bucket of ice cream.
Perhaps we too intuitively used this practice to comfort our hearts. Everything is correct – ice cream can make you happy and lift your spirits! Neurologists from the Institute of Psychiatry in London have scanned the brains of people eating ice cream and found that when consuming a frozen dessert, the brain stimulates pleasure centers that relieve pain and improve mood.
The main ingredient of ice cream is milk rich in tryptophan – an amino acid necessary for the production of serotonin, which is called the happiness hormone. In addition, the combination of fat and sugar makes the consumption of ice cream relaxing and relaxing. If the ice cream is made of natural ingredients, it can also be a source of minerals – such as calcium and potassium, or vitamins – A, B6, B12, D, C and E (if, in addition to dairy products, the ice cream also contains fresh fruit).
Ice cream diet that is slimming
An unusual, but very tempting idea for the summer is to try a diet that consists of consuming ice cream every day. Its creators promise weight loss after 4 weeks of this frosty diet. Sounds intriguing, right? The detailed rules of this diet, however, are less optimistic, because its success is based mainly on adherence to the daily energy limit of 1500 kcal.
Ice cream should be consumed once a day, but it must not contain sugar or fat – and a single serving must not exceed 250 kcal. It turns out that you can’t buy ice cream desserts, and the only acceptable ones are those made by yourself at home from yoghurt and fruit. Well, this option may be healthier, but it deprives us of unlimited access to ice cream delicacies at our fingertips offered by various ice cream manufacturers and manufactures, forcing us to roll up our sleeves and make our own frozen desserts.
However, it is a myth that ice cream slows down because it is cold and the body must use more energy to heat it than is provided with its consumption. Yes, it takes some energy for your body to raise the temperature of ice cream while digesting it, but it is definitely less calories than a small scoop of ice cream.
The best ice cream in the world
The author of the book “Gelato, ice creams and sorbets” Linda Tubby proves in her work why Italian ice cream is considered the best in the world. Tubby explains that the word “gelato” in Italian comes from the verb “gelare” – which means to freeze.
Italian gelato is different from traditional ice cream because it is served at a warmer temperature, 10 degrees higher than other ice cream. Thanks to this, our taste buds on the tongue do not freeze and we feel the flavors more intensely. In addition, gelato is produced daily in small batches, which keeps them fresh, intense flavors and distinct aromas. They also achieve perfection thanks to natural ingredients, unlike industrial ice cream, packed with preservative additives.
Gelato also differs from regular ice cream in the proportion of base ingredients (milk, cream and egg yolks). Gelato contains more milk and less cream and egg yolks, thanks to which they have less fat (approx. 6-7%) than traditional ice cream. In addition, they contain less sugar and are therefore also less caloric, so you can eat them more without fear of the line 😉
The former name of gelato – “mantecato” – in Italian means churning. Italian gelato is churned more slowly than other commercially produced ice cream, which means that there is less air in it. Gelato is therefore heavier, denser and creamier than other ice creams that are intensely aerated.
In the town of San Gimignano, in the heart of Tuscany, there is Gelateria Dondoli, which has been winning awards and laurels in competitions all over the world for several years. The ice cream sold by gelato master Sergio Dondoli is considered the tastiest in the world. Being in this town in 2014, I found out about their craftsmanship, eating ice cream consisting of 4 scoops in two attempts 😊 Their uniqueness is not only the composition, but also the original flavors available for sale, for example: Champello – pink grapefruit ice cream with sparkling wine or Crema di santa fina – creamy with saffron and pine nuts.
“Ice” was known already 4 thousand years BC
According to some sources, the inhabitants of Mesopotamia enjoyed a frosty dessert at that time. It employed runners who traveled hundreds of kilometers to get snow and ice to cool drinks and dishes served at religious ceremonies. We can also find passages in the Bible about King Solomon who loved to drink chilled drinks during the harvest season.
How was it possible then without access to freezers? For this purpose, deep pits were dug where snow and ice were stored, and then covered with straw or grasses. Such ice pits were discovered during archaeological excavations in China (7th century BC) and in ancient Rome and Greece (3rd century BC). It was there that Alexander the Great enjoyed his frozen drinks with the addition of honey or wine. The ancient Romans ate snow as “ice” with the addition of fruit, fruit juice or honey.
There are many legends and anecdotes about ice cream. Holidays, vacations and summer are the perfect time to take a closer look at this dessert due to its increased consumption. Below are some icy facts that you may never have heard of.
Here are 10 essential ice cream fun facts to know:
1. One scoop of ice cream is licked about 50 times
2. The most popular flavor is vanilla, followed by chocolate, strawberry and cookie
3. Chocolate coating is a favorite addition to ice cream
4. The most profitable day for ice cream sellers is Sunday
5. It is estimated that every Italian eats around 10 kg of ice cream each year
6. The United States is the largest ice cream producer in the world, and July is celebrated there as the national ice cream month
7. The weirdest ice cream flavors are: hot dog ice cream, ice cream with olive oil, garlic or blue cheese ice cream, Scottish haggis ice cream (check what it is 😉), crab ice cream, pizza flavor and … even with Viagra
8. The first ice cream parlor was established in Paris in 1686 – Cafe Procope and still exists today
9. The ice cream cone was patented by the Italian Italo Marchioni in 1903 and to this day it is one of the most popular forms of serving ice cream, which additionally follows the zero waste trend
10. Researchers from London, by studying the brain’s reaction to ice cream consumption, have proven that we react to it in a similar way to meeting a person close to us.
Summation
Summer and ice cream is a perfect duo. It does not matter if you are following a diet or you can indulge in moments of cold pleasure, regardless of the calories. Ice cream comes in so many forms and forms that everyone will find their favorite. Some people like sorbets, others love vending machines or Italian gelato. In each store you will also find a rich offer, and if someone wants something special, go to the ice cream manufactory and try unique flavors.
Some people go a step further and make home-made ice cream using their favorite ingredients. While writing this article, I took a break for ice cream – I made my own in a Vitamix blender – mixing frozen black currants with sour milk, Greek natural yogurt and stevia in drops. They came out delicious and healthy. What kind of ice cream do you like the most?