Howdy! It’s Joey, back with more Fun Fact Friyay. Today, we’re celebrating a new season (hello, autumn!) with a classic ice cream treat.
Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. President, is the first known American to create an ice cream recipe and helped popularize it throughout the country.
Back when I started Fun Fact Friyay, this newsletter had very few subscribers. Thanks to you charming readers, it’s continued to grow. Now, many people have their days improved (or ruined, if you hate fun facts) with a little whimsy.
Some of the earlier facts I’ve shared never got their proper place in the sun, so with this week including National Ice Cream Cone Day (September 22), I wanted to revisit a fact. Coincidentally, if it had its place in the sun, it would melt quite quickly.
Incidentally, I celebrated National Ice Cream Cone Day at OMG Squee, a place with a name that’s just as much fun to say as the ice cream is to eat.
Look at this cute taiyaki cone!
Ice cream has evolved over centuries and across cultures. This cone above being a swirl of cereal milk and ube flavor, topped with Oreo dust and filled with sweet red bean, is a testament to that. And I am always up for giving a unique flavor a try.
Turns out my fondness for this treat makes me aligned with Thomas Jefferson, America’s third President, who was QUITE the fan of ice cream.
He likely discovered it while in France in the 1780s, and he’s credited as the first American to write a recipe down. His recipe is for a much more classic flavor (vanilla), and it’s on display at the Library of Congress.
Jefferson’s Monticello home featured multiple molds of ice, an ice cream freezer, and an ice cream ladle.
While in the White House, Jefferson served ice cream on at least half a dozen documented occasions. He often paired it with a pastry or crust, because every good ice cream dish could use a little extra crunch.
His guests offered positive reviews of the experience. Let’s see a few highlights:
“Ice cream very good, crust wholly dried, crumbled into thin flakes.” -Mannaseh Cutler, Massachusetts Senator
“Balls of the frozen material enclosed in covers of warm pastry, exhibiting a curious contrast, as if the ice had just been taken from the oven.” -Samuel Latham Mitchill, New York Representative
“[I’m going to serve] ice creams on Sunday next, and afterwards, every Wednesday and Sunday, during the season.” -Honoré Julien, Jefferson’s cook in the White House
Word spread fast at the start of the 19th century. Mary Rudolph, who was related to Jefferson through marriage, included more than 20 ice cream recipes in her cookbook, The Virginia Housewife; Or, Methodical Cook.
Rudolph’s book is quite the goldmine. It features over 500 recipes, including the first curry recipes in America. You’ll also learn how to make household items, such as soap and cologne, and it’s an interesting look at early American cooking.
Of course, you came here for ice cream, so if you don’t have time to make 500 things, we’ll start with one: Here’s Jefferson’s ice cream recipe.