Was ice cream invented in Philadelphia? How about by the Emperor Nero, when he poured honey over snow? Did Marco Polo first taste it in China and bring recipes back? In this first book to tell ice cream's full story, Jeri Quinzio traces the beloved confection from its earliest appearances in sixteenth-century Europe to the small towns of America and debunks some colorful myths along the way. She explains how ice cream is made, describes its social role, and connects historical events to its business and consumption. A diverting yet serious work of history, Of Sugar and Snow provides a fascinating array of recipes, from a seventeenth-century Italian lemon sorbet to a twentieth-century American strawberry mallobet, and traces how this once elite status symbol became today's universally available and wildly popular treat.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Before Quinzio can address ice cream’s the history of ice cream, she must first debunk a number of widespread myths. Neither Nero nor Marco Polo nor Catherine de Medici nor England’s Charles I had anything to do with introducing ice cream to Europe. Ice cream’s history began when sixteenth-century Europeans discovered the freezing effects of mixing ice with salt and applied it first to wine. Although medical opinion of the time disapproved, the technique caught on and spread across the continent. By the seventeenth century, recipes for “icy creams” appeared in England. Americans took to ice cream with a vengeance, and the invention of mechanical refrigeration made the treat available to everyone at any time. Quinzio masterfully documents ice cream’s modern evolution from tablets for the home icebox through the vast array of flavors offered by industrial ice-cream production. Another excellent contribution to the California Studies in Food and Culture series. --Mark Knoblauch
Review
"Masterfully documents ice cream's modern evolution from junket tablets for the home icebox through the. . . industrial ice-cream production."--Booklist
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making,
By Barbara Mende (MA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making (California Studies in Food and Culture) (Hardcover)
You learn a lot from this book if you make ice cream or want to make it. But even if you're content to keep buying your ice cream in a supermarket, the book is fun and informative reading. It's a true social history of the last few centuries in Europe and in the U.S. By tracing the paths ice cream took from a luxury for the rich and titled through a substitute for liquor doing prohibition to its place in today's world, it teaches this history painlessly. And it's really enjoyable to read.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just desserts richly deserved,
This review is from: Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making (California Studies in Food and Culture) (Hardcover)
Jeri Quinzio serves up an erudite, well-researched and anecdotal history of the sweetest innocent pleasures. To feed your cravings, I suggest pairing "Of Sugar and Snow" with the recipes in her earlier book, Ice Cream: The Ultimate Cold Comfort. Yes, there is delight be found in low fat ices, but Quinzio, Queen of Butterfat, makes the creamiest, richly satisfying ice creams--just like her books. Having been part of her "research" (tasting) team, my recommending her books is truly word of mouth.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet Read,
This review is from: Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making (California Studies in Food and Culture) (Hardcover)
"Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making" by Jeri Quinzio is a sweet treat for ice cream lovers and for lovers of history. Quinzio combed primary sources to expose many myths about the origins of ice cream, including the oft repeated "fact" that Marco Polo brought it back from China. The truth is more interesting and more entertaining. Quinzio is a fine storyteller with an eye and ear for the telling detail. Her anecdotes inform history with charming insights.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
