Your Day to Remember: Vanilla Ice Cream Day edition

As long as we mark time by calendars, we will have something being recognized each day of the year. Here’s your notice of a day to remember this week and how to appropriately honor it. Thanks to National Whatever Day for the bulk of information.

This Week’s Day to Remember: Vanilla Ice Cream Day – Tuesday

                                    

(theicecreaminformant.com)

 

Origin: Vanilla ice cream, the mildest of all ice creams, ironically had its beginning during a conquest.

According to “The 100 Most Important Chemical Compounds: A Reference Guide” by Richard L. Myers, vanilla was used by Aztec royalty to decrease bitterness in cocoa drinks. It later was introduced to Europeans in the 1520s after the explorer Francisco Cortez conquered the Aztecs. Vanilla at first had a similar use in England, but apothecary Hugh Morgan recommended to Queen Elizabeth I to use vanilla apart from cocoa. 

The flavoring spread in Europe to France, where it was used in all kinds of recipes, including ice cream. Thomas Jefferson tried vanilla ice cream in France, introduced it to the United States, and there you go. And it’s still doing pretty well today. 

Appropriate Gift: Brandy, dark crème de cacao and whipped topping for the best darn ice-cream headache of all time.

Official Song/Patron Saint: You know, sometimes coming up with examples for this feature takes some work. And sometimes, like now, it’s all too easy. And you’re welcome for that running through your head the rest of the day.


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