Let's celebrate one of the most popular ice cream flavors of all time! Culinary historians believe that the first ice cream flavors were fruit-based, but by the 18th century both vanilla and chocolate were quite common. Thomas Jefferson took a fancy to ice cream while living abroad as the Ambassador to France during the 1780s. It is likely that he is responsible for bringing this delicious frozen treat to America!

June 7 is...

National Chocolate Ice Cream Day is enjoyed and celebrated, by people throughout the United States, each year on June 7. Cocoa powder is blended in with eggs, cream, vanilla and sugar to make the basic chocolate ice cream. Other flavors, such as rocky road or triple chocolate chunk, use the chocolate ice cream as the basis for their creation. Chocolate is the second most common flavor only surpassed by vanilla. The chocolate flavored ice cream has been in existence well over a hundred years and has been popular in the United States since the late 19th century.

A Bit of Ice Cream Trivia...

While ice cream used to be considered a unique dessert to be enjoyed only by the elite, insulated ice houses made ice cream more accessible for everyone. Do you know how many gallons were produced in 1899? Jacob Fussell is accredited with manufacturing ice cream into an industry in 1851. By 1899 five million gallons of ice cream were being produced, and that grew into 30 million gallons in 1909. In 1919 more than 150 million gallons was being produced. But that's nothing compared to the estimated 1.6 billion gallons produced today, which doesn't even include frozen treats like yogurt, sherbet, and other frosty delectables. And that is in the United States!

Whether you prefer your chocolate ice cream in a cone, a cup, a sundae, a float or a milkshake, indulge in a scoop (or two!) today! It's never too late for ice cream!