Extra: July is National Ice Cream Month

Throughout history many have claimed to be the inventor of ice cream. According to MakeIceCream.com, both Julius Caesar and Emperor Nero of ancient Rome tried to take credit for the idea of mixing snow with fruit nectar, pulp and honey. Even Marco Polo is said to have brought Far East recipes for water ices to Europe in the 13th century.
The very first ice cream parlor was said to have opened in New York City in 1776.
First lady Dolley Madison served ice cream as a dessert at Madison's second inaugural ball in 1812.
According to the International Ice Cream Association, the world's five most popular ice cream flavors are vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry and Neopolitan.
According to Ice Cream.com, every year Americans devour an average of 48 pints of ice cream per person, and it takes 12 gallons of milk to produce just one gallon of ice cream.
National Geographic says the United States produces around 1.4 billion gallons of frozen desserts each year, and Americans spend close to $20 billion dollars on ice cream per year.

The above facts are reprinted from the American Farm Bureau Federation's FoodieNews, an electronic newsletter packed with the latest information and opinions on food trends in the United States. Read more FoodieNews or subscribe.