ice cream, frozen dairy food and common dessert made
from cream or butterfat, milk, sugar, and flavorings.
Frozen custard and French-type ice creams also contain eggs.
Containing less air than the ice cream produced in the United
States (which has more butterfat), and denser and more intensely
flavored, is the related Italian gelato. Hundreds of flavors of ice
cream have been devised, the most popular
being vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. (When the three flavors
are combined, it is known as Neopolitan.) Ice cream is also the
basis of other desserts, such as baked Alaska, which consists of ice
cream layered between a slice of sponge cake and a covering
of meringue that is browned in either an oven at high heat or by a
butane culinary torch.
baked AlaskaBaked Alaska consisting of chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, and toasted meringue.
Iced desserts were introduced into Europe from the East. Marco
Polo brought back descriptions of fruit ices from his travels
in China. Italian cooks developed recipes and techniques for
making both water and milk ices; Buontalenti, one of the cooks
taken to France by Catherine de Medici, first prepared such treats
for the French court. In 1686 a Sicilian, Francesco Procopio,
opened a café in Paris and began to sell ices and sherbets, which
became so popular that numerous other ice makers soon opened in
the capital. Tortoni, owner of a café in late-18th-century Paris,
is credited with developing cream ices. In the United States, ice
cream was served by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
and Dolley Madison. Philadelphia became the hub of ice-cream
manufacture in the United States; the ice-cream soda was invented
there in 1874. The ice-cream cone, portable and self-contained,
originated at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. San
Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square, home to the onetime chocolate
factory, became famous for its hot-fudge sundaes.
1 of 2
preparation of ice creamIce cream being injected into rows of cones at a factory
2 of 2
All-natural ice cream: What's really in it?Overview of how ice cream is made.
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Commercial ice cream is made by combining, under constant
agitation, the liquid ingredients (milk, cream, syrups, etc.). These
liquids are heated and combined with dry ingredients (sugar,
stabilizers, dried eggs or milk) to form a mix, which is then
pasteurized and homogenized. The mix is ripened for several hours
in a refrigerated vat, then combined with finely chopped fruit, nuts,
or other solids. The mix is agitated while being frozen in order to
incorporate air and control the size of the ice crystals that are
formed. The partially frozen ice cream is drawn off into packages
and frozen solid, or “hardened.” So-called soft-service ice cream
was invented in 1939; it is served directly from
the freezing machine without being allowed to harden.
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The science behind making ice creamDiscover the chemistry of ice cream.
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Homemade ice cream is often made with a base of boiled custard.
The mix, with flavorings, is poured into a canister surrounded with
ice and salt or a refrigerator unit. The contents of the canister are
agitated by means of a hand crank or electric motor until the ice
cream is softly frozen. The ice cream is usually allowed to harden
further in a freezer.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and
updated by Amy Tikkanen.
dairy product
Table of Contents
Introduction
Properties of milk
Fresh fluid milk
Condensed and dried milk
Butter
Ice cream and other frozen desserts
Cultured dairy foods
Cheese
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Images & Videos
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Baking and Baked Goods Quiz
What’s on the Menu? Vocabulary Quiz
Ultimate Foodie Quiz
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Written by
David K. Bandler,
R. Paul Singh•All
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: Nov 22, 2024 • Article History
Related Topics:
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butter
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butterStick of butter.
dairy product, milk and any of the foods made from milk, including butter, cheese, ice
cream, yogurt, and condensed and dried milk.
Milk has been used by humans since the beginning of recorded time to provide both fresh and
storable nutritious foods. In some countries almost half the milk produced is consumed as fresh
pasteurized whole, low-fat, or skim milk. However, most milk is manufactured into more stable dairy
products of worldwide commerce, such as butter, cheese, dried milk, ice cream, and condensed milk.
Cow’s milk (bovine species) is by far the principal type used throughout the world. Other animals
utilized for their milk production include buffalo (in India, China, Egypt, and the Philippines), goats
(in the Mediterranean countries), reindeer (in northern Europe), and sheep (in southern Europe).
This section focuses on the processing of cow’s milk and milk products unless otherwise noted. In
general, the processing technology described for cow’s milk can be successfully applied to milk
obtained from other species.
In the early 1800s the average dairy cow produced less than 1,500 litres (396 gallons) of milk
annually. With advances in animal nutrition and selective breeding, one cow now produces an
average of 6,500 litres (1,717 gallons) of milk a year, some cows producing up to 10,000 litres (2,641
gallons). The Holstein-Friesian cow produces the greatest volume, but other breeds such as
Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, and Jersey, while producing less milk, are known for supplying
milk that contains higher levels of fat, protein, and total solids. See also dairy farming.
Properties of milk
Nutrient composition
Although milk is a liquid and most often considered a drink, it contains between 12 and 13 percent
total solids and perhaps should be regarded as a food. In contrast, many “solid” foods, such as
tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce, contain as little as 6 percent solids.
Britannica Quiz
What’s on the Menu? Vocabulary Quiz
Many factors influence the composition of milk, including breed, genetic constitution of the individual
cow, age of the cow, stage of lactation, interval between milkings, and certain disease conditions.
Since the last milk drawn at each milking is richest in fat, the completeness of milking also influences
a sample. In general, the type of feed only slightly affects the composition of milk, but feed of poor
quality or insufficient quantity causes both a low yield and a low percentage of total solids. Current
feeding programs utilize computer technology to achieve the greatest efficiency from each animal.
