Share

cover art for A Short History of Ice Cream

The Delicious Legacy

A Short History of Ice Cream

Season 1, Ep. 20
•

Hello!


What could call itself the first ice cream cup was found in Egypt in a tomb from the Second Dynasty (2700 BC). This was a kind of mould, consisting of two silver cups, one of which contained snow (or crushed ice) and the other cooked fruit. “Icehouses”, where snow was stored and ice deliberately formed, were undoubtedly an extremely ancient invention. Around AD300 in India they found a way to manufacture cheap ice: Porous clay pots containing boiled, cooled water were laid out on top of straw in shallow trenches; under favourable circumstances, thin ice would form on the surface during winter nights which could be harvested and combined for sale.

Of course ancient Persians by 400BC have mastered the art and technique of creating ice in the deserts of Iran for their needs ie storing food and for pleasure in form of iced drinks! This practice requires an ingenious structure called a yakhchāl

The emperor Nero had snow and ice transported from mountains or volcanoes such as Mount Etna, these natural ice being stored in ice-boxes and buried in wells to be preserved. Nero also feasted his guests with crushed fruit with honey and snow, practices that Seneca found very expensive.

How long have these sorbets and frozen fruits been eaten ? Historians remain silent on the subject. It seems that these icy preparations lasted in the Middle East but not in the West.


The famous Italian traveller of the middle ages, Marco Polo met Kublai Khan and had the honour of enjoying the royal treat. After leaving China, Marco Polo brought the technique of making ice cream back to Italia. Marco Polo is often recognized for bringing knowledge of Chinese ice cream techniques to Italy where it was perfected, but it seems clear that news about ice cream has travelled to Europe from the Arab world, also via a number other sources.



Resources and further reading:


"Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat" by Bee Wilson

ISBN: 9780141049083


How Ice Cream Got Its Cone

https://www.seriouseats.com/2019/06/ice-cream-cone-history.html 

The Delicious History of Ice Cream:

https://medium.com/@andersoncuellar/the-delicious-history-of-ice-cream-6a75938630f0 

Martini Fisher Ancient History of Ice Cream: https://martinifisher.com/2020/10/30/the-ancient-history-of-ice-cream/ 

Saltpetre: Regency Refrigeration:

https://regencyredingote.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/saltpetre-regency-refrigeration/

Support the podcast on Ko-Fi and Patreon for ad-free episodes!

https://ko-fi.com/thedeliciouslegacypodcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedeliciouslegacy

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 19. Conversation in Greek with my Grandmother - Η Γιαγιά Ντίνα διηγείται τις περιπέτειες της!

    45:28||Season 7, Ep. 19
    Hello!This is another episode in Greek, my little parallel series of getting some episodes out for Greek audienceThis time I thought I'll release a part of my conversation with my grandmother- my yiayia- my father's mother.From the mountainous north west Greece, her childhood up in the villages, where bandits and others where making life hard in the 1920's. Only a few years earlier this part of Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire.A fascinating story of a troubled period for Greece, her story takes us from the 1920's to the end of WW2.I recorded this about 17 years ago! It was 2009. EnjoyThom

  • Stocking fillers: Recipe of the week - Stuffed pork chops with feta cheese and walnuts

    05:02|
    Hello!Your recipe of the week is here!Every Saturday in The Delicious Legacy podcastEnjoy!Thom

  • 18. Traditional Christmas around the Greek Table

    26:40||Season 7, Ep. 18
    Hello! Christmas is approaching! Time for some recipes to inspire you in your Christmas cooking! (If you do cook of course! Otherwise, psssss, pass it on to your spouse!) It's also the time the ‘Kalikanzaroi’ (goblins that live underground all year according to Greek folklore) are coming up to Earth to annoy humans. How do you distract them? What foods do they like? So I've got a little treat for you, my curious and greedy gastronomers! On this episode of The Delicious Legacy podcast, we are going to Greece, so aside from melomakarona, stuffed chicken with rice and chestnuts, or roast piglet, what else do we Greeks ate at Christmas past? What was on the festive table in Epirus, Crete, Mani, Thrace, or even Kastelorizo? Let's re-discover some of the older, regional, and nearly extinct dishes for all corners of the Hellenic world! What is "Patoudo"? What about the dish called 'baby Jesus's "swaddling clothes"? And "babo"? What is the dish called "Gold" from the remotest Greek island to the East? These and much more on today's episode!Listen now -on all platforms that you get your podcasts from- and share with friends, family, colleagues, and rate and review! Enjoy! x The Delicious Legacy

  • 17. RE-AIR: Ancient Rome's Bakers, Cooks and Kitchens w/ Extra Content!

    53:24||Season 7, Ep. 17
    Hello!On this classic episode from the archives of The Delicious Legacy I decided to include some ten minute of extra content from my interview with Farrell and I have remastered the audio as it was a bit dodgy the last time round. Hope it's more pleasant and easier to listen now!I'm very excited about this episode! Farrell Monaco is a culinary & experimental archaeologist, and bread-baking addict! Especially of the ancient Greco-Roman variety...So what better person to chat about the ancient cuisine? And it's a very thought-provoking and thoughtful. Who were the people (and the animals!) who did the hard work?Currently in California -where she was when we spoke online- but mostly researching in Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia about ancient Greco-Roman breadways.More info on bread from Pompeii by Farrell Monaco:https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230629-adoreum-the-newly-discovered-flatbread-fresco-of-pompeiihttps://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230406-arculata-the-bread-that-survived-pompeiiApuleius and The Golden Ass:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_AssEtruscan Tarquinian Tombs:https://tarquiniaturismo.com/tomb-of-the-triclinium/?lang=en Farrell's website and blog:https://tavolamediterranea.com/Music by Pavlos KapralosEnjoy!Thom & The Delicious Legacy

  • 16. Traditional Japanese Cuisine

    55:27||Season 7, Ep. 16
    Hello! New episode is out and I couldn’t be more excited about it!I've interviewed cookbook author Emiko Davies about her latest book "The Japanese Pantry" which came out in October this year.Emiko shares stories of her travels off the beaten track to meet the makers and pay homage to ancient traditions that have been around for centuries. Ingredients, dishes and recipes that are lost in the mists of time, and rare foods that might be lost forever!How do you make sake and rice vinegar? What are the sake lees and how do we use it? What is the rare delicacy of Yubeshi?We will explore the key ingredients of Japanese cuisine and on top of this, we will take a deep dive some unknown ingredients and dishes from all over the Japanese archipelago.You can follow the pensioner, mountain tea farmers who farmed at 1000 feet above sea level deep inside a forest, on Instagram at @nakaichamuraiEnjoy!Thom & The Delicious Legacy

  • 15. More Conversations In Greek - Συνέντευξη με την Ουκρανή Συγγραφέα 'Ολια Χερκουλες

    55:30||Season 7, Ep. 15
    Hello!This episode is in Greek and it's the translation of the episode I recorded a couple of months ago with the food writer Olia Hercules about Ukrainian Food and Culture! The original episode can be found here: https://shows.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy/episodes/ukrainian-food-culture-with-olia-herculesΓεια σας! Το σημερινό επεισόδιο είναι μια συνέντευξη με την Ουκρανη συγγραφέα και σεφ Ολια Χερκουλες, που θα μας πει για την παραδοσιακή κουζίνα της Ουκρανίας, και τα φαγητά αλλά και τιε επιρροές από τους γείτονες λαούς μέσα στον χρόνο.Μιλήσαμε επί της ευκαιρίας του καινούργιου της βιβλίου, με τίτλο Strong Roots: "Μια Ουκρανική Οικογένεια Ιστορία δια μέσου πολέμου, εξορίας και ελπίδας"Μπορείτε να βρείτε αυτό αλλά και όλα τα βιβλία της εδώ: https://oliahercules.com/booksΕυχαριστώ για την ακρόαση. Μέχρι την επόμενη φορά, ας είμαστε δυνατοί γεροί και γεμάτη κουράγιο και ελπίδα.Η μουσική είναι του Παύλου ΚαπράλουΜε εκτίμηση,The Delicious LegacyThom Ntinas

  • 14. The Most Elusive Spice of The Ancient World: Cyrenaic Silphium

    44:12||Season 7, Ep. 14
    Hello!A newly updated episode about Silphium! Or Asafoeitida? I was inspired by History Hit's newly released documentary with Dan Snow called Ancient Adventures: Libya where the team went to explore extraordinary Greek and Roman sites, centred around one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, Cyrene.So I thought it is time to talk again with more updates about silphium and with recipes and tasting by me here!What do we know of the ancient silphium? What do the authors say it tastes? And when was the last time that it was mentioned in texts?Plus the relationship with it's eastern cousin asafoetida and its use in Indian cuisine!Enjoy!With the voice over by Mark Knightand music by Pavlos KapralosLove,Thom & The Delicious Legacy

  • 13. Conversations in Greek -Μαγειρεύοντας Ελληνικό φαγητό στην Φινλανδία

    33:58||Season 7, Ep. 13
    Hello!This episode is in Greek language for Greek audience!It was released on Wednesday in English for the rest of you!Καλημερα!Το καινουργιο επεισοδιο, της εκπομπης μας, στα Ελληνικα για το κοινο στην Ελλαδα!Προβάλλουμε λοιπόν, δίνουμε για λίγο τα φώτα της δημοσιότητας στους Έλληνες Σεφ του εξωτερικού!Να δουμε την εμπειρια τους και την σχεση τους με το Ελληνικο φαγητο και πως εξελίσσεται εκτος Ελλαδος! Τι επιρροές φερνουν στα πιάτα και ποια η ανταποκριση των κατοικων της καθε χωρας στην Ελληνικη κουζινα?Ακουστε λοιπον το πρωτο επεισοδιο της σειρας μας στα Ελληνικα!ΘωμάςThe Delicious Legacy

  • 12. The Life of a Greco-Finnish Chef in Helsinki

    45:07||Season 7, Ep. 12
    Hello!New episode of the podcast is out. This is part of a little bonus season I'll be occasionally releasing; in between the regular episodes of the podcast!Here we will be talking with Greek chefs abroad,-that's outside Greece- who cook, work and live in different places, and promote the Greek cuisine in their own way.What are their dreams? How's Greek food perceived outside Greece in their perspective countries, and do they feel as ambassadors for Greece and her gastronomy?What are the most embarrassing aspects of Greek food abroad? And how is the national cuisine in the places that they live? Who does what best?Today for the first episode of this series I' m chatting to chef Aino Mavrogiannaki; a Greek-Finnish chef who lives and works in Helsinki, but who's is from Crete as well, and grew in New York too!Let's find out!Love,Thom