It’s supposed to be summer here in Yorkshire, but guess what? Yep, it’s raining today and has been raining for the last two weeks. (Yes, I’m moaning about the weather again. I know I shouldn’t complain about the rain, some countries really need it at the moment.) To cheer myself up I’m writing about something summery. What epitomises summer more than ice cream? I’m eating ice cream as I write to get myself in the mood.
July in the US is National Ice Cream Month, and yesterday (23rd July) was National Vanilla Ice Cream Day.
Vanilla ice cream is apparently the most popular flavour in the US. I like vanilla ice cream with warm desserts like cherry pie or pancakes. (Not Shrove Tuesday pancakes AKA Pancake Day pancakes—think thin crepes. I serve those with a drizzle of lemon and a sprinkle of sugar only.) When eating ice cream in a cone, I like a little more than plain vanilla.
Vanilla
Vanilla comes from Vanilla Planifolia, a species of orchid native to Central America. After flowering, the plant produces a fruit known as a vanilla bean which ripens for about 8 to 9 months, then turns black and contains thousands of vanilla seeds. These seeds are used to create vanilla-flavoured products. Apparently, vanilla ice cream is used as the base for all ice cream.
Favourite Ice Cream Flavours Across the Globe
According to All Things Lists, the top flavours are:
- Chocolate (US)—contradicting the website above.
- Vanilla (UK).
- Mint Choc Chip.
- Cookie Dough (especially in the US, Mexico, Argentina, and Germany).
- Buttered pecan.
- Neapolitan (France, Italy)—my brother and I always left the chocolate bit when we were kids.
- Banana (Philippines).
- Toffee (Iceland, Austria, Bahrain).
- Caramel — (salted caramel seems to be everywhere these days).
- Dark chocolate.
Other favourites by country
- Rocky Road – Singapore
- Strawberry – Turkey
- Green Tea – Japan
- Watermelon – Netherlands
- Chocolate brownie – Colombia
- Oreo – Kenya
- Coconut – Thailand
My Favourite Flavour
On Twitter a few years ago, there was a spate of people asking users to share their favourite ice cream flavour. My answer was always the same—mint choc chip. I love the crisp, zingy flavour of the mint combined with the bitter kick of dark chocolate. If mint is on the menu, I will always pick it over any other flavour. If I want to try something different, I’ll go with cherry. One flavour I never choose is salted caramel. I find it overly sweet. Oh, and no sauce or sprinkles for me. Don’t get me started on sprinkles.
What’s your favourite or least favourite flavour of ice cream? Let me know in the comments.
