Quiz of the Day
National Ice Cream Day
Sunday, 19 July 2026
Cold, creamy, and 2,000 years in the making — the surprisingly rich history of frozen desserts
1. Which US president is credited with popularising ice cream in America and serving it at White House dinners?
- Abraham Lincoln
- George Washington
- Thomas Jefferson
- John Adams
Jefferson brought a French recipe for vanilla ice cream back from Paris and served it to guests at Monticello and the White House. His 18-step recipe is one of the earliest recorded American ice cream recipes. Washington reportedly spent around $200 on ice cream in a single summer — equivalent to thousands of dollars today.
2. What is the most popular ice cream flavour in the United States?
- Cookies and Cream
- Strawberry
- Chocolate
- Vanilla
Vanilla consistently outsells every other flavour globally, not just in the US. Despite being considered 'plain,' vanilla flavour is extraordinarily complex — real vanilla contains over 250 distinct flavour compounds. The word 'vanilla' comes from the Spanish 'vainilla,' meaning 'little pod.'
3. The ice cream cone was popularised at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. How did it come about?
- An inventor specifically designed it
- A baker ran out of dishes
- A machine malfunction created it
- An ice cream vendor won a competition
As the popular story goes, Ernest Hamwi, a Syrian waffle vendor next to an ice cream stand, rolled his waffles into cones when the ice cream vendor ran out of dishes. Dozens of people later claimed credit for inventing the ice cream cone — but the 1904 World's Fair is universally accepted as the moment it became mainstream.
4. Approximately how many litres of ice cream does the average American consume per year?
- 30 litres
- 5 litres
- 10 litres
- 20 litres
Americans eat about 20 litres (roughly 5 gallons) of ice cream per capita annually — one of the highest rates in the world. New Zealand actually tops the global charts per capita. The US ice cream industry generates over $11 billion in retail sales annually.
5. What scientific phenomenon makes ice cream smooth rather than icy — preventing large ice crystals from forming?
- Overrun
- Recrystallisation inhibition
- Emulsification
- Homogenisation
Ice cream's creaminess depends on keeping ice crystals tiny (under 50 microns — too small to feel). Emulsifiers like lecithin, stabilisers like guar gum, and the rapid freezing process all help prevent recrystallisation. When ice cream is repeatedly melted and refrozen, crystals grow and texture becomes unpleasantly icy.
6. Gelato, Italy's version of ice cream, differs from American ice cream primarily in what way?
- It's made with water, not cream
- It's served at a warmer temperature only
- It has less fat and less air churned in
- It's always fruit-flavoured
American ice cream must contain at least 10% milkfat by law. Gelato typically uses more milk than cream (lower fat) and is churned more slowly, incorporating less air — resulting in a denser, more intensely flavoured product. It's also traditionally served at a slightly warmer temperature, keeping it softer and more malleable.
7. Which country invented soft-serve ice cream, the type dispensed from a machine rather than scooped?
- Japan
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- United States
Soft-serve was developed in the 1930s when American ice cream makers discovered that pumping in more air created a lighter, cheaper product. McDonald's introduced it to UK audiences in the 1970s and it became enormously popular. A common myth says Margaret Thatcher helped invent soft-serve as a food scientist — she worked on emulsifiers but the machine-based dispensing predates her involvement.
8. What is 'overrun' in ice cream manufacturing?
- The layer of ice that forms on top
- The percentage of air incorporated during freezing
- Ice cream that has refrozen incorrectly
- Excess production beyond sales targets
Premium ice creams have 20-50% overrun (relatively dense); cheap brands can reach 100% overrun (half air by volume). This is why premium ice cream cartons feel heavier for the same volume. In some countries, products with very high overrun can't legally be called 'ice cream.'
9. Mochi ice cream, popular in Japan and increasingly worldwide, wraps ice cream in what outer layer?
- Tapioca sheet
- Sweet rice cake
- Coconut cream wafer
- Sesame pastry
Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice pounded into a sticky, stretchy dough. Mochi ice cream — invented by Frances Hashimoto in Los Angeles in the 1990s — wraps a small ball of ice cream in mochi. The texture contrast between the chewy exterior and cold creamy interior made it an international sensation.
10. The sundae was reportedly invented to circumvent blue laws that forbade what on Sundays?
- Playing music in restaurants
- Selling alcohol
- Selling soda water with ice cream sodas
- Operating businesses
Ice cream sodas were hugely popular in the 1890s, but some US towns banned the 'sinful' bubbly drinks on Sundays. Resourceful vendors served ice cream with syrup but no soda — the 'Sunday,' later spelled 'sundae' to avoid offending religious sensibilities. Two Wisconsin towns (Ithaca, NY and Two Rivers, WI) both claim to have invented it.
11. Which flavour combination, inspired by a cookie, became one of America's most popular ice cream flavours after being introduced by Ben & Jerry's?
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Cookies and Cream
- Rocky Road
- Mint Chocolate Chip
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream was created by Ben & Jerry's in 1984 after an anonymous customer suggested it on a chalkboard at their Burlington, Vermont shop. The idea of putting raw cookie dough in ice cream was considered unusual at the time — now it's a staple in virtually every brand's range.
12. Liquid nitrogen ice cream, made tableside in specialist shops, freezes the mixture in approximately how long?
- 30 minutes
- 15 minutes
- 5 minutes
- Under 2 minutes
Liquid nitrogen at -196°C freezes ice cream almost instantaneously — far faster than traditional methods. The rapid freeze creates extremely tiny ice crystals, making the texture incredibly smooth and creamy. The dramatic nitrogen clouds produced during the process became a selling point, turning ice cream making into dinner theatre.
13. Kulfi, a traditional South Asian frozen dessert, differs from Western ice cream primarily because it is not churned. This makes it...
- Denser and creamier
- Lighter in texture
- Softer and fluffier
- More icy and crunchy
Kulfi is made by reducing whole milk to a dense, concentrated form, then freezing it without agitation in conical moulds. It's much denser than ice cream, with an intensely milky flavour. It was served to Mughal emperors in India as early as the 16th century, predating most Western frozen desserts.
14. Which country consumes the most ice cream per capita in the world?
- United States
- Finland
- New Zealand
- Australia
New Zealanders consume around 28 litres of ice cream per capita per year — more than any other country. This is particularly impressive given New Zealand's relatively cool climate compared to tropical nations. The country's world-class dairy industry likely explains the passion, with fresh, high-quality cream readily available.
15. Rocky Road ice cream, one of the first flavours deliberately created (rather than evolved), was invented in 1929 to cheer people up after what event?
- The end of Prohibition
- The beginning of the Great Depression
- A major earthquake
- World War I's aftermath
Rocky Road was created by William Dreyer (of Dreyer's ice cream) and candy maker Joseph Edy in 1929, shortly after the Wall Street Crash. Dreyer cut up marshmallows and walnuts and mixed them into chocolate ice cream. The name 'Rocky Road' was chosen to 'give folks something to smile about in the midst of the Depression.'