Fun Facts On Ice Cream

Sharing these facts on ice cream with my family has been fun for me. It seems my younger kids are more interested in my findings than the older ones. Although they all share a love for ice cream, not all are enthusiastic about listening to me go on and on about what I've learned. So, I guess I will share it with those of you who can appreciate it.

Udderly Fun Facts About Ice Cream

• An average dairy cow can produce enough milk in her lifetime to make a little over 9,000 gallons of ice cream.
  
  
• A cow has only 1 stomach with 4 areas where food is digested: the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and the abdomen.
  
  
• The udder of a cow can hold between 25-50 lbs. of milk. (OUCH!)

The Milkfat Matters

• In the U.S., all ice cream needs to have a minimum of 10% milkfat if it is to be labeled "ice cream". This includes custard based (French Style) ice creams.
  
  
• Reduced fat, has at least 25% less total fat than regular ice cream.
  
  
• Light, has at least 50% less fat and 33% fewer calories than regular.
  
  
• Lowfat, can't have more than 3 grams of fat per serving.
  
  
• Nonfat, has less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving.
  
  
• In Sherbet, milkfat is between 1 - 2%.
  
  
• Sorbet, has no milk at all!

Ice Cream Nation

• The U.S. celebrates National Ice Cream Month in July.
  
  
• California produces the most ice cream in the U.S.
  
  
• The U.S. produces the most ice cream in the world.

Historical Ice Cream Facts

• Ice cream became available to the general population in France in 1660.
  
  
• Ice cream was introduced to America in the 1700's, but mostly enjoyed by those of status and wealth.
  
  
• Americans celebrated the victory of WWII with ice cream. In 1946, they ate more than 20 quarts of ice cream per person.

Unbelievable Ice Cream Facts

• Hawaii has a fruit known as the ice cream bean or the monkey tamarind that actually tastes like vanilla ice cream!
  
  Don't believe me? You can read about it and many other exotic fruits that are just as unbelievable in Adam Leith Gollner's book, The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession .
  
  
• There is actually an ice cream diet designed for weight loss. ( I made fun of the idea in a poem before I even knew the diet existed.)
  
  You can read all about it in Prevention Magazine's paperback, The Ice Cream Diet
  
  
  
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