National Vanilla Ice Cream Day is celebrated every year on July 23 and marks the most favourite day for ice cream enthusiasts who get an opportunity to indulge in this yummy frozen delight. While flavours like chocolate, strawberry, and many more innovative ones tend to attract a lot of attention, the popularity of vanilla has not diminished with time due to its amazing scent, taste, and versatility. Whether enjoyed solo or combined with warm desserts and various fruits and syrups, vanilla ice cream is a true classic. Here are six interesting facts about National Vanilla Ice Cream Day and its delicious frozen treat.
Why vanilla has become a classic
In spite of the opinion that vanilla is just another flavour, it has quite a rich history. It comes from vanilla pods of the vanilla orchid, which happens to be one of the most labour-intensive agricultural products to produce. It has a unique floral scent and sweet taste and has been used for making desserts for hundreds of years. Before there were hundreds of ice cream flavours, vanilla was already considered to be a luxury product to complement almost any recipe.
A match for almost all desserts
Another reason why vanilla ice cream is so popular is that it is very versatile. It goes well with brownies, apple pie, waffles, pancakes, cakes, fruit salad, hot puddings and so on. The creamy and smooth taste of vanilla makes it a perfect partner for almost any dessert and is loved by home cooks and restaurateurs all over the world. Whether enjoyed in a cone or served with freshly baked goodies, vanilla ice cream is still the number one choice.
How vanilla bean becomes ice cream
The first step in making genuine vanilla ice cream is harvesting vanilla beans from orchids grown mainly in Madagascar, Indonesia, Mexico, and other countries. Then, they should go through a long period of curing process that will make them develop their special scent before they are used for flavouring the dairy mixture. Good quality of vanilla ice cream usually contains a few little black specks of the real vanilla beans, though many commercial brands add natural or artificial vanilla flavour.
A favourite of generations
While modern flavours of ice cream usually appear in the season, disappear soon and then emerge again, vanilla flavour has been popular for decades. Kids love its sweet taste while grown-ups enjoy its special complexity. What’s more, it is one of the most suitable flavours for parties because it suits different tastes. That is why vanilla is still one of the best-selling flavours of ice cream in many countries of the world.
Many ways to have vanilla ice cream
As for enjoying vanilla ice cream, there are many more options than just putting a scoop of this tasty dessert into the bowl or on the cone. It is the main ingredient in milkshakes, sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, floats, smoothies, and homemade desserts. People often personalise this flavour with toppings like chocolate syrup, caramel, nuts, fresh fruits, cookies, or even sprinkles.
Celebrating the day at home
National Vanilla Ice Cream Day is a perfect excuse for people to enjoy this wonderful dessert with their families and friends. Some people try to prepare some homemade recipes for this flavour, while others visit their favourite ice cream parlours or invent new toppings for their ice cream cones or bowls.
