History

Ice cream is a relatively ancient food preparation, which has evolved in parallel with man's use of cold. For several centuries, during the era of natural cold, snow and ice were mixed with fruit, honey, rosewater, etc., to make ice cream. In 1292, Marco POLO, on his return from Asia, brought back the first recipes for ice-creams cooled by dripping water with saltpetre onto the container containing the icing mixture. In 1530, a Sicilian put the Chinese discoveries into practice, hence the Italian claim to "gelati". In 1533, ice cream made its way from Italy to the French court, on the table of Catherine de Médicis (of Italian origin), married to the Duc d'Orléans. In 1785, Bonaparte, a great lover of ice cream, frequented the famous Procope café in Paris, where over eighty varieties of ice cream and sorbets were served, initially reserved for the court of kings, then for the nobility. With...