Five facts behind ice cream you might not know

No matter what you're doing at home and no matter the weather, you might be listening out for the sound of the ice cream van to complement your well-earned break.

Soft serve or a classic lolly, something iced sure hits the spot on a hot day. But the story behind your fave frozen treat might be more unusual than you think.

From happy accidents to gross ingredients, here are five historical facts behind ice creams that you might not know.

Waffle we do about the ice cream tub?

Waffle or wafer? Up until the 1890s, you wouldn’t have had either. Ice cream from street vendors, known as a ‘penny lick’ in Victorian England, was first served in thick glasses or a ceramic bowl. As the name implies, you could get a scoop for a penny, lick it clean and then return it to the vendor to be washed and served to the next person.

Of course, this wasn’t particularly hygienic. The penny lick was banned in London in 1898 due to the spread of diseases like cholera, and vendors all over England were threatened with closure. A few ice cream makers across the globe were already working an edible container to hold ice cream, but in 1902 seller Antonio Valvona, an Italian immigrant living in Ancoats, Manchester, beat them to patenting it. He made a machine which produced waffle tubs to perch the scoops in and saved his business.

French patisseries have used shaped wafers in desserts for over a century, but you have Antonio to thank for the close relative of the waffle cones we enjoy today.

The ice cream van: a global phenomenon

Recognised by its flashy graphics, rounded roof and screen doors, the ice cream van as we know it today is a British invention that’s been exported to every continent. While ice cream has been sold out of street carts and trucks for way over a century, the technology in most vans today was invented in Crewe, Cheshire, by refrigeration engineer Bryan Whitby in 1962. Bryan revolutionised the ice cream van by making the machines run directly from the engine, which meant the vans were a lot lighter and able to be built in their recognisable shape.

As the biggest exporter of mobile freezer vans to 60 countries, the Whitby Morrison van is what most of the world uses to sell ice cream from. Even if you spot the elusive ice cream van in Azerbaijan or Australia, chances are it probably migrated from Crewe. The town also set a Guinness World Record for the longest ice cream van parade - a whopping 84 vans!

Overnight ice

Ice pop, icies, ice lolly, lolly ice… The name is certainly up for debate, but the origin has a broad consensus. The story goes that the ice lolly was invented by Frank William Epperson, a California lemonade salesman, and it was totally accidental.

He claimed that in 1905, when he was 11, he left a glass of water with powdered lemonade and a mixing stick in it on his front porch overnight. The stick froze in the glass, and, of course, the first thing Frank did in the morning was lick it (don't do this). With that lick, the ice lolly was born and now serves as a perfect refresher on a hot summer’s day.

Churn it out, Queen

If you’ve ever had a go at homemade ice cream, you may have been frustrated to find that you need an ice pick to get into it instead of a scoop. Part of the reason for this is chemistry, as you need an emulsifier (such as eggs) and an antifreeze ingredient (usually salt) to stop the ice cream freezing completely. But to get a truly smooth concoction the mixture needs a serious whisk, which can be hard to do by hand.

So when did it all begin? One of the first ice cream makers that operates similarly to automatic ones today was invented by English culinary entrepreneur Agnes Marshall in 1885. Dubbed the “Queen of ices” for her frozen desserts, Agnes was granted a patent for a machine that, while still hand-cranked, could supposedly freeze ice cream in five minutes and keep it smooth. She was also the first person to suggest using liquid nitrogen to freeze ice cream, which some industrial machines do today - Queen Elsa eat your heart out!

A sickening flavour

In some form or another ice cream has existed since the seventh century. But, according to the one of the first known hand-written recipes, an ingredient that may have been used for it in the past was ambergris. Ambergris is a substance found in the digestive tract of sperm whales and is famously used in perfumes and incense (so don’t touch that waxy amber-coloured lump on the beach - it could be washed up whale sick).

English noblewoman Lady Anne Franshawe documented the recipe in her cookery book in 1665. The recipe for ‘icy cream’ said to use "orange flower water or ambergreece”, which would add a floral note. The slurry substance was also a rich emulsifier thanks to its viscous properties, though you probably wouldn’t want it in your frozen treat today… tub or cone!