Get the Scoop on "Sinfully" Delicious Ice Cream

July is National Ice Cream Month, thanks to President Ronald Reagan who gave it that designation 16 years ago. Sunday, July 16th is National Ice Cream Day. So go ahead and indulge.

Americans have been eating ice cream since the 1700s, when it was more of a treat for the elite according to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). President George Washington was known to have purchased $200 of ice cream from a New York merchant and an inventory of goods at Mount Vernon included two ice cream pots.

The American soda fountain shop emerged in 1874 with the invention of the ice cream soda. Responding to religious criticism of the consumption of "sinfully" rich ice cream sodas on Sundays, ice cream vendors removed the carbonated water and invented the ice cream "Sunday" in the late 1890's. The name was eventually changed to "sundae" to remove any connection to the Sabbath.

Today, about 10% of the milk produced by U.S. dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream. Some 91% of the nation's population consumes ice cream and annual U.S. ice cream sales total about $11 billion.

To find out the differences between ice cream, frozen custard, sherbets and sorbets or for information about distinguishing among reduced fat, light, lowfat and nonfat ice cream products, visit the IDFA web site at www.idfa.org.

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