BY DIANA A. GALANG
All culinary historians and anthropologists agree that the first version
of ice cream dates back to ancient Greece, when granita was first
invented; and for that matter, concocted as a vital part of man’s
sustenance. Mt. Aetna in Greece within the Pelorus Peninsula, and
adjacent to Sicily, had been important to granita’s history when
people collected and used the snow from the mountain and flavored it
with fruits and juices with sweeteners. But a true historian will not
get satisfied by this knowledge, because ice cream’s ingredients are
so simple, it might have been invented elsewhere. It is a fact that
cheesecake’s history was also linked to Mt. Aetna when the first
recipe (called the Tiropeta) was made up of cream, honey and fruit
extracts that were stored in mountain snow, but ice cream, though with
almost the same composition, has been regarded as a different culinary
element.
ANGLAISE AND
OTHER DOCUMENTATION
There are different stories of
ice cream’s origin but the two most popular are those of King Charles
I of England’s and Marco Polo’s.
The story of King Charles, that
happened hundreds of years ago, has to do with his French chef De Mirco
who made a dessert that resembled snow but with a sweet and creamy
flavor. The base of this was a basic amalgamation of cooked milk or
dairy called Crème Anglaise, referred by French cooks as a put down to
all English cooking. Everyone was so amazed with that dessert most
especially the King. Because of uniqueness and incomparably delicious
flavor, the King wanted the recipe kept secret from everyone. Moreover,
he wanted it served only on the royal table. He then immediately called
the chef and asked these favors. To persuade the latter, he gave him a
big amount of money and 500 pounds a year to adhere to the agreement.
However, King Charles was beheaded in 1649, thus exposing ice cream’s
recipe.
In another version, Europe’s
great traveler, Marco Polo, also has a story of ice cream but his story
is not of origin but discovery of early consumption. According to the
story, upon Marco Polo’s stay in China he saw the natives eating ice
cream, but it is believed that it was not like the ice cream today but a
sherbet type. And on his return to Italy he introduced it to the people
and made it popular in the country just like pasta –thus giving birth
to gelato.
Ice cream’s history is really
rooted hundreds of years ago as implied by several stories of ice cream
making and eating. One story is that of Roman emperors who sent slaves
to the mountains to get snow to freeze fruit drinks or combine it with
fruit toppings.
ENDLESS VARIETY
Countries like Turkey and Greece
used to flavor ice cream with flowers, saffron, and mixed with noodles a
long time ago, and even up to the present.
Turkey
In ancient times, the natives of
Turkey collected snow and stored it in mountain holes and covered it
with twigs to prevent it from melting. When they felt like eating ice
cream they just went up to the mountain and got a bowl-full of snow,
drizzled it with molasses and mixed it with fruits – they called it
"karsambac."
Another type of ice cream is
"kahramanmaras;" this type has taffy like texture and
consistency, and does not melt easily. Actually, kahmanmaras ice cream
is hung on a butcher’s hook and cut with a knife and served in cups,
cones and waffle sandwiches. Though this ice cream has the said
characteristics it is unbelievable that it does not cause the
"burning" sensation on the tongue and palate unlike the usual
cold and chilled products; on the contrary, it has a soothing effect.
Kahramanmaras, aside from its
unique texture also has a distinctive flavor that comes from the
surroundings of its storage. Actually, this 300 year old ice cream
recipe gets its magical flavor from the mineral content of the
mountain’s soil and its location. Also, the ingredient called "salep,"
a white flour that comes from the wild orchid’s dried roots, further
enhances the flavor. Because of these innate factors, just like wines,
it is impossible to imitate this ice cream.
Greece
In ancient Greece, about 500
B.C., people already enjoyed the ice treat available in the markets of
Athens. The snow that was flavored with honey and fruits became an
instant favorite most especially when Hippocrates encouraged his
patients to eat ice. According to him, "ice livens the life juices
and increases the well-being." The Greeks contributed to the world
"pagato" ice cream.
There are different types of
pagato: pagato kaimaki has chewy texture because of its ingredients,
mestic-resin and salepi; pagato loukoumi, which is made with deep fried
dough; and pagato kataifi chocolate which is made with shredded filo
pastry similar to vermicelli. Greeks also have olive oil ice cream and
maurodaphne ice cream that is flavored with their own dessert wine.
Persia
In Persia, as early as 400 B.C., people already
enjoyed a chilled product that was like a pudding made with rosewater
and vermicelli. They also had the Persian rosewater that was usually
served between wafers just like our modern funwich or panwich. These
products were only served in the royal table mostly during summer. The
Persians during that time were already knowledgeable about
refrigeration. Actually, they had yakhchals, a naturally cooled
refrigerator. The people collected ice from the mountains during winter
and stored it in the yakhchals. To flavor, the ice was mixed with
fruits, saffron and other flavorings.
Part
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