Who invented ice cream and how is it made? The fact is, no one knows for certain but there is no shortage of theories and speculation. Some say Marco Polo brought the secrets of ice cream to Italy from China in the 1200’s. From there, it is said that Catherine de’Medici introduced Italian sherbet to France when she married Henry II in 1533. Then it is said to have turned up in England when a cook served it to Charles I and his party guests sometime around 1600. As with most things we take for granted today, ice cream evolved as it was refined and reinvented over hundreds of years until it found its way to North America. That’s when the popularity of ice cream started to grow by scoops and mounds!   Political icebreaker Early in North American history, politicians used ice cream to impress and influence others. It was considered quite exotic then, and the rich delighted in a dessert only they could afford! In 1700, Maryland Governor Bladen was serving ice cream to his guests - and accepting much praise after reelection. In 1812, Dolly Madison, U.S. President James Madison's wife, created a sensation when she served ice cream at the White House for the very first time, at the President's second inaugural ball. Ice cream becomes a common craving It wasn't long, however, before ice cream became accessible to "common" people. Nancy Johnson invented the first hand-crank ice-cream freezer in 1843. Apparently, she had no idea how important (or profitable) her invention would become, and later sold her invention and patent rights. In 1848, a Mr. Young patented his version of the hand-crank freezer - and was kind enough to name it after Ms. Johnson (though whether he shared the proceeds is not known). In 1851, Jacob Fussell opened the first commercial ice cream manufacturing plant in Baltimore, Maryland. With increased availability, ice cream steadily grew in popularity. The tasty treat starts to snowball With everyone starting to dig into ice cream and loving it, the innovations began in earnest. In 1899, August Gaulin invented the homogenizer, which breaks down the fat globules to give ice cream its smooth texture. The first ice cream cone was made and sold at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 - and billions have been eaten since! Ice cream on sticks, ice cream bars and other "novelties" became popular in the 1920s. "Flappers" and "Cool Cats" ate them while cruising the city streets in Model T Fords. Ice Cream in Canada Canadians weren’t about to left out in the cold in the ice cream craze. The first Canadian to sell ice cream was Thomas Webb of Toronto, who went into business around 1850. Fast forward to 1973 when David and Penny Chapman, tired of the big business approach to ice cream in the big city, purchased the Markdale Creamery and founded Chapman's Ice Cream in Markdale, Ontario with the dream to provide a quality product at an affordable price, adding the personal touch that only a small company could provide.   The scoop on how it’s made It's really very simple, and, aside from the large machinery used by most manufacturers, ice cream is still made in much the same way as our great grandmothers did. To begin, cream and other milk ingredients are blended with sweeteners. Other functional ingredients are also added, such as a stabilizer which prevents the formation of ice crystals after freezing. Next, this mix is put through a pasteurization process. The most common is the high-temperature, short-time method, during which the mix is heated to 80 degrees Celsius (175 degrees Fahrenheit) and held for 25 seconds. The hot mix is then homogenized which breaks down the milk fat globules under pressure, to create a creamier texture. After homogenization, the mix is quickly cooled to about 5 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit). Freezing is accomplished one of two ways: a "continuous freezer," which uses a steady flow of mix; or a "batch freezer," which makes a single quantity of ice cream at one time. The batch method is how great grandma would have done it, using Mr. Young's patented hand-crank freezer . During the freezing process, blades in the freezer - known as "dashers" - whip and aerate the mix. Without the work of these dashers, the finished product would be nothing like the ice cream we all know and love. Instead the result would be an inedible, solidly-frozen clump of sugar, cream and flavouring. Government regulations and minimum standard requirements control this aeration process, known as "overrun." In the "continuous freezing" process, ingredients such as fruit and nuts are added after freezing by a mechanical feeder. Liquid flavourings - if any - are added before freezing. The finished product is packaged in any one of numerous containers - from 11.4-litre tubs, to 115-ml sundae cups and novelty molds. These containers are moved to the Hardening Room, where sub-zero temperatures further harden the ice cream. And that's how it's made! From the Hardening Room, Chapman's Ice Cream is loaded onto refrigerated trucks for delivery to distributors and local retailers.