Who doesn’t like something sweet to eat, particularly after you’ve just had a delicious meal. Desserts are one of the most popular courses and food groups in the United States. You need only to look at the dazzling and delicious variety of sweet treats available at your local supermarket to understand just how much Americans love to eat desserts.
However, there are classic desserts that will probably never disappear from the menus and dinner tables of the average American. Despite the rise of fancier treats like frozen yogurt, sorbets, and macaroons, these desserts will always be popular. Whether you’re opening your own restaurant or looking for a great dessert franchise opportunity, these goodies will always be in demand.
But did you know the following facts about these beloved dessert treats?
Ice Cream
Ice cream was first industrially produced in the United States in 1851. The US is still the world’s largest consumer of this delicious frozen confection. Only 10 percent of American households don’t eat ice cream, and that’s a darn shame. So dig out your favorite carton of ice cream and taste this delicious scoop of fun facts:
- The largest ice cream sundae, made in Edmonton, Canada, weighed in at approximately 24 tons of cool and creamy goodness.
- California is where most of the ice cream in the United States come from. In a single year, the state managed to produce a staggering 121 million tons of frozen delight.
- Despite its plain perception, vanilla remains the most popular flavor of ice cream, probably because it can be combined with so many other desserts!
Apple Pie
Is anything as American as apple pie? Turns out, quite a lot can be because the original apple pie was made in England, more than six centuries ago. Unsurprisingly, the first colonist brought the delicious recipe with them when they moved across the Atlantic, where it’s been a hit and national treasure ever since. Enjoy a warm, golden brown slice of the following apple pie facts:
- You could remove the crust of the first kinds of apple pie. As part of the baking process, the apples were baked in the bottom crust first, the top half removed.
- “Mock apple pie” was invented in the Old West by settlers with no access to apples. It consists of crackers and spices usually used in the making of apple pie.
- Granny Smith is not a kind of pie but the name of a popular baking apple, which in turn is named after the woman who first grew them.
Jell-O
Jell-O was invented in the 1800s by Peter Cooper, but was popularized by another man named Orator Frank Woodward. Over a hundred years and an untold number of rival treats later, Jell-O is still firm and strong, just like its flagship product. Enjoy a fruity, flavorful block of these Jell-O facts:
- Jell-O is almost entirely made of sugar, with 90 percent of its composition made of the sweet stuff.
- Because of how easy and versatile Jell-O is as a dessert, 75 percent of the United States have a box in their pantry.
- You can taste 22 different flavors of Jell-O, from strawberry banana to basic orange.
Great desserts are the perfect endings to a perfect meal, and their rich history and interesting aspects are like the cherries on top. So the next time you enjoy a serving of your favorite dessert, savor the flavor and the rich facts that come with it.
