Get the scoop: Pa.'s surprising connection to the history of ice cream

No, a Pennsylvanian didn’t invent ice cream. While no specific date of origin or inventor has been credited, historians have found references to ice-cream like treats dating back to the 2nd century B.C.  Alexander the Great enjoyed snow and ice flavored with honey and nectar, and Roman Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar (A.D. 54-86) frequently sent runners into the mountains for snow to be flavored with fruits and juices. 

Ice cream first shows up in the United States in late 1700s, where it was enjoyed by the elite who could afford to purchase the exotic treat. President George Washington spent $200 (more than $5,000 in today’s dollars) on ice cream during the summer of 1790, Dolley Madison served strawberry ice cream at her husband’s second inauguration, and Thomas Jefferson popularized vanilla as an ice cream flavor.
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However, American ice cream wouldn’t be what it is without the influence of the Keystone State. In honor of National Ice Cream month this July, here’s the scoop on how Pennsylvania fits into ice cream history.

"American ice cream wouldn't be what it is without the influence of the Keystone State.”

-image credit: Karolina Szczur via Unsplash.com 

Father of Ice Cream

African-American Augustus Jackson, who worked as a White House cook in the 1820s, returned to his hometown of Philadelphia in the early 1830s where he ran his own catering business and experimented with ice cream flavors. While he didn’t invent ice cream, he is often dubbed the “Father of Ice Cream” because he pioneered many of its modern manufacturing methods and recipes. He distributed his ice cream in tin cans to Philadelphia’s ice cream parlors, often selling it for $1 a quart (the equivalent of $26 today), making him one of the city’s wealthiest businessmen. Unfortunately, Jackson did not apply for any patents of his recipes or manufacturing techniques. 

Inventor of the Ice Cream Scoop

​African-American businessman and inventor Alfred Cralle invented the ice cream scoop in 1897. He was working as a porter at a drugstore and at a hotel in Pittsburgh. He noticed ice cream servers having difficulty getting the ice cream from the tub to the cone. It stuck to the spoons, requiring two hands and two tools to serve. He created a mechanical device, which he named the “Ice Cream Mold and Disher,” that was easy to operate with one hand and the ice cream wouldn’t stick to it. The 30-year-old’s invention received U.S. Patent #576395 on February 2, 1897.

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"Hipster Breyer had his own food truck in Philadelphia before that was even a thing.”

-image credit: Jenny Smith via Unsplash.com

First Ice Cream Freezer

​In the late 1700s-early 1800s, when freezers didn’t exist and obtaining the ice and ingredients was labor intensive and expensive, ice cream was a treat enjoyed only by the wealthy elite. We owe Philadelphian housewife Nancy Johnson a debt of gratitude—her invention brought ice cream to the masses. Her simple, hand-cranked ice cream churn was a game changer, making it possible for anyone to make quality ice cream. Her “artificial freezer” received U.S. Patent 3,254 on September 9, 1843. Today’s home ice cream makers still use her basic design. 

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Philadelphia-style Ice Cream Becomes American-style

​In 1866, William A. Breyer began making hand-cranked ice cream and selling it out of his kitchen. As his business grew, he sold it from his horse-drawn wagon around Philadelphia. (Hipster Breyer had his own food truck before it was a thing.) He made his ice cream from a short list of natural ingredients (milk, cream, sugar, nuts, fruits). The French style, which was introduced in the U.S. by Thomas Jefferson, contained egg yolks for richness, but American manufacturers who followed this recipe were accused of using additives. Breyer’s recipe became known as Philadelphia-style ice cream and was soon adopted as the national standard. 

Bassetts: The Country's Oldest Continuously Operational Ice Cream Shop

Bassetts Ice Cream got its start in 1861 on the Salem, N.J. farm of Lewis Dubois Bassett, using a mule-turned churn. He would take his products to Philadelphia farmers markets. He ended up opening a shop at 5th and Market Streets in 1885. When the Reading Terminal Market opened in 1892, L.D. opened a retail store there—and Bassetts has occupied that space ever since. While Bassetts stays true to its origins (the base recipes are from the early 1900s), it’s also constantly innovating and expanding, introducing new flavors and entering new markets.  

So as you enjoy your hot fudge sundae or vanilla cone this summer, take a second to say thanks to the Pennsylvanians who helped make ice cream America’s favorite chilly treat.

Content sources: International Dairy Foods Association, chillyphilly.com, biography.com, Bassetts Ice Cream, Mental Floss
​Image sources: Unsplash.com