Green tea ice cream facts for kids
Matcha ice cream at a Japanese restaurant
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| Alternative names | Matcha ice |
|---|---|
| Type | Ice cream |
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Serving temperature | Cold |
| Main ingredients | Matcha, ice cream |
Green tea ice cream (抹茶アイスクリーム, matcha aisu kurīmu) or matcha ice is a yummy ice cream that tastes like matcha. Matcha is a special type of green tea. This ice cream is super popular in Japan and other parts of East Asia.
Matcha ice cream first came to the United States in the late 1970s. You could mostly find it in Japanese restaurants and stores back then. But by the late 1990s, it became much more common! In Asia, people often enjoy green tea ice cream with other treats like monaka (a wafer dessert), mochi (chewy rice cakes), and shaved ice.
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What is Matcha Ice Cream?
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Matcha ice cream gets its unique flavor from matcha. Matcha is a fine powder made from a special kind of green tea called tencha.
Tencha tea plants are grown in the shade. This makes the tea very special and often quite expensive! It's also used in traditional tea ceremonies in Japan.
Matcha is known for being a bit sweeter and less bitter than other green teas. Because of its great taste, matcha is now used in many different sweets. In Japan, there are rules about what can be called "matcha." Only powdered green tea made from tencha can be called matcha. So, calling matcha ice cream simply "green tea ice cream" might not be totally accurate.
History of Green Tea Ice Cream
Some people believe that a famous Japanese leader, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (who lived from 1537 to 1598), might have eaten something similar. He supposedly enjoyed shaved ice with matcha and millet sugar.
During the Edo period (1603–1867) in Japan, there was a popular shaved ice dessert called Uji Kintoki (宇治金時). This treat had matcha and anko (which is a sweet bean paste) added to it.
Early Ice Cream with Matcha
Matcha ice cream was served at fancy court meals and parties in Japan during the Meiji era. It was called ice cream with hikicha (挽茶入氷菓子). Hikicha simply means ground tea, which is matcha.
For example, this special ice cream was on the menu for a banquet in 1898. This party was for Prince Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Turin, who was visiting Japan from Italy. Also, a cookbook from 1907 even had instructions on how to make tencha ice cream. Tencha is the tea leaves before they are ground into matcha powder.
In 1926, a Japanese American in Texas suggested advertising matcha in the U.S. by promoting "matcha ice cream." This idea was mentioned in a Japanese tea industry report.
Matcha Ice Cream in the U.S.
In 1931, when American pilot Charles Lindbergh flew to Kasumigaura, Ibaraki Prefecture, he was given matcha ice cream by a Japanese tea group. He really liked it! He was the first American known to have eaten matcha ice cream.
In 1958, a tea company in Wakayama Prefecture in Japan created and sold a soft-serve ice cream with matcha. They called it "Green Soft." By 1968, matcha ice cream was already a common item on coffee shop menus.
In 1983, a sweet shop in Kyoto Prefecture started selling matcha ice cream and soft serve. That same year, Meiji Dairies sold matcha ice cream under the Lady Borden brand. This was a Japanese version of the American Borden Company's ice cream.
Growing Popularity
More imported ice cream came to Japan after 1990, when rules about importing ice cream changed. In 1995, a company called Maeda-en USA in California started selling green tea ice cream in Japan. This product was soon sold in convenience stores and supermarkets across Japan.
Häagen-Dazs Japan began making green tea ice cream in 1996. It was an instant hit! It sold twice as much as their popular vanilla flavor. Now, it's one of Häagen-Dazs's most popular flavors in Japan.
A study by the Japanese Ice Cream Association found that green tea ice cream was the third most favorite ice cream flavor.
Why is it Popular?
Green tea ice cream has been available in the United States since the late 1970s. The U.S. eats the most ice cream in the world! At first, you mostly found it in Japanese restaurants and markets. Now, it's becoming very common, and you can even make it at home.
In the mid-1990s, Japanese cuisine and sushi became very popular in the U.S. This led to many more Japanese restaurants opening. As people tried more Japanese food, they also learned about green tea. This helped green tea ice cream become a popular dessert.
Serving Suggestions
Green tea ice cream is often served with other delicious foods. These include azuki beans (sweet red beans), dango dumplings (chewy rice balls), monaka wafers, shaved ice, and taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes).
See also
In Spanish: Helado de té verde para niños
