List of ice cream varieties by country facts for kids
There are many delicious ice cream varieties from all over the world! Each country has its own special way of making and enjoying this cool treat, with unique flavors and traditions. Let's explore some of them!
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Argentina
In Argentina, the traditional helado (ice cream) is very much like Italian gelato. It's one of the most loved desserts there. You can find many heladerías (ice cream parlors) in every city. They offer lots of creamy and water-based ice creams. The most famous and popular flavor in Argentina is dulce de leche, which is a sweet caramel-like sauce. This flavor has even become popular in other countries!
There are two main kinds of ice cream shops in Argentina. Some sell ice cream made with artificial ingredients, which are usually cheaper. Others sell helado artesanal, which means it's handmade with natural ingredients. These often have a special logo with an ice cream cone and the letters HA. Most ice cream shops offer both cream-based and water-based ice creams. The main difference is how good the ingredients are.
When you order a standard cone or cup in Argentina, you usually get to pick two different flavors! Many ice cream shops also sell special ice cream desserts. These include Bombón Suizo (Swiss Bonbon), which is chocolate-covered ice cream with dulce de leche and nuts. Another is Cassata, which has strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate ice cream.
Australia and New Zealand
People in Australia and New Zealand love ice cream! They eat a lot of it every year. In New Zealand, a very popular flavor is Hokey pokey. It's vanilla ice cream with crunchy pieces of honeycomb candy. This flavor is also enjoyed in Australia and Japan.
Another cool ice cream idea from New Zealand is real fruit ice cream. A special machine blends vanilla ice cream with frozen fruit to make it. This style has recently become popular in the United States too.
Have you heard of Goody Goody Gum Drops? It's a unique New Zealand ice cream flavor. It's green, tastes like bubble gum, and has little gum drops mixed in. People either really love it or really don't!
China, Hong Kong, Macao
Besides common flavors like vanilla and chocolate, ice cream makers in China also create traditional flavors. These include black sesame and red beans.
In recent years, dessert shops in Hong Kong and Macao have started serving ice-cream moon cakes. These are special treats enjoyed during the Mid-Autumn festival. You can also find Fried ice cream at street food stalls in Beijing.
Finland
The first ice cream factory in Finland was started by the Italian Magi family in 1922. Finland is one of the top ice cream consumers in Europe. Today, the two biggest ice cream makers there are Ingman and Nestlé.
France
In 1651, a café in Paris started selling ice cream, and it quickly became very popular. In France, places that make and sell ice cream are called glaciers. They sell glaces (ice creams) in many different flavors. Some are very traditional French flavors.
One traditional flavor is glace plombières, which was invented in 1815. It's still popular at family events like weddings. Glace à la Chantilly, made with chantilly (whipped cream), is also very common. Another old ice cream is the fontainebleau, created near Paris. Nowadays, you can find French ice creams made with a base of fromage blanc (a type of fresh cheese), especially in the countryside.
Here are some traditional French ice cream desserts you might find:
- Café liégeois: Sweetened coffee, coffee-flavored ice cream, and chantilly cream.
- Peach Melba: Peaches and raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream.
- Bombe glacée: A frozen ice cream dessert shaped like a ball.
- Dame blanche: Vanilla ice cream with whipped cream and warm melted chocolate.
- Poire belle Hélène: Pears cooked in sugar syrup served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.
- Colonel: Lemon sorbet with vodka.
- Omelette norvégienne: Sponge cake, ice cream, and meringue, hot on the outside and cold on the inside.
Germany
One of the first well-known Italian ice cream parlors in Germany opened in Munich in 1879. Since the 1920s, when many Italians moved to Germany and opened businesses, traditional ice cream shops became very popular.
A famous German ice cream dish is Spaghettieis. It was created in the 1960s and looks just like a plate of spaghetti! It's made from ice cream that's pressed through a special machine to look like noodles, then topped with strawberry sauce (for tomato sauce) and white chocolate shavings (for Parmesan cheese).
Most of the ice cream sold in Germany is made in factories. Germany has the biggest market for ice cream in Europe.
Ghana
In 1962, a Ghanaian treat called FanIce was created. FanIce comes in strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla flavors. You can buy pouches of FanIce from people on bikes with cool boxes in towns and cities. You can also buy bigger tubs in grocery stores to enjoy at home.
Greece
Modern ice cream, called pagotó (Greek: παγωτό), came to Greece in the early 1900s. But Greeks have enjoyed cold treats since ancient times! Around 500 BC, ancient Greeks ate snow mixed with honey and fruit. Even Alexander the Great loved snow ice mixed with honey and nectar.
Today, Greek ice cream has some special flavors. Pagoto Kaimaki (Greek: Παγωτό Καϊμάκι) is made from mastic resin, which gives it a slightly chewy texture. Salepi is used to make it melt slower. These ingredients give the ice cream a unique taste. Other unique flavors include Pagoto Elaeolado me syko (made with olive oil and figs) and Pagoto Mavrodaphne (made from a Greek dessert wine). Sweet fruit preserves, called Greek Sweets of the Spoon, are often served as toppings.
India
India is one of the biggest ice cream makers in the world, and most of it is eaten right there! India also has a special frozen dessert called "Kulfi" or "Matka Kulfi." It's very popular in small towns and villages. Kulfi is thicker and creamier than regular ice cream and comes in many flavors like mango and pistachio. Many ice cream companies have opened their own shops in India, and international ice cream brands have also started selling there.
Indonesia
In Indonesia, there's a traditional ice cream called "Es Puter," which means "stirred ice cream." It's made from coconut milk, pandan leaves, and sugar. It comes in many flavors like avocado, jackfruit, durian, and chocolate.
Iran
Fālūde (Persian: فالوده) is a Persian sorbet. It's made of thin noodles frozen with corn starch, rose water, lime juice, and often pistachios. It's a traditional dessert in Iran and Afghanistan. Faloodeh is one of the oldest frozen desserts, dating back to 400 BC! Back then, ice was brought from high mountains and stored in special cool buildings called yakhchals.
Italy
Italian ice cream, known as Gelato, is a very popular dessert in Italy. Much of it is still handmade in small shops called "produzione propria" gelaterias. Gelato is made from whole milk, sugar, sometimes eggs, and natural flavors. It usually has less fat than regular ice cream.
Before ice cream cones became popular, Italian street vendors would serve gelato in small glass dishes or wrapped in waxed paper.
Japan
Ice cream is a popular dessert in Japan. Many adults eat it at least once a week. The most popular flavors in Japan are vanilla, chocolate, matcha (powdered green tea), and strawberry. Other popular flavors include milk, caramel, and azuki (red bean). Azuki is especially liked by older people.
- Kakigori is a Japanese shaved ice dessert.
Laos
A typical ice cream variety in Laos is Laotian vanilla. It's made from pandan, which is a plant often called "Laotian vanilla" because of its sweet, unique smell.
Pakistan
Pakistan has many popular ice cream brands. The most popular flavors in Pakistan are Pista (pistachio), Qulfi (similar to Kulfi), Vanilla, and Chocolate. Pakistani Peshawari ice cream is very famous in South Asia and the Middle East.
Philippines
Sorbetes is the Philippine version of ice cream. It's usually sold from colorful carts that travel through the streets. People sometimes call it 'dirty ice cream' because it's sold outside, but it's usually clean and safe to eat! It's often served in small wafer or sugar cones, and sometimes even in bread buns. Popular flavors in the Philippines include ube ice cream made from purple yam and queso ice cream made from cheese.
South Korea
Potato gelato, also called Yangyang ice cream, is a special type of ice cream from Gangwon Province, South Korea. It's made from potatoes grown in that area. It was created to show off the unique tastes of Gangwon-do, using local ingredients. Sometimes, pepper is sprinkled on top, giving it the name potato-pepper gelato.
Spain
In Spain, you can find ice cream similar to Italian gelato in many cafes and ice cream shops. The flavors often reflect local tastes, such as nata (cream), crema catalana (a Spanish custard), or tiramisu.
Industrial ice cream makers also produce popular treats like ice cream sandwiches and polos (ice cream on a stick). Ice cream is mostly eaten in Spain during the summer. Because of this, some ice cream shops turn into hot chocolate cafes in the winter!
Syria
Booza (الآيس كريم واللبن, meaning "milk ice cream") is also called "Arabic ice cream." It's a special kind of ice cream that is stretchy, sticky, and doesn't melt easily. This makes it perfect for the hotter climates in the Arab world.
Booza is traditionally made with an ingredient called sahlab (سَحْلَب) or salep. This ingredient helps it resist melting and gives it its unique texture. Salep is also used in the Turkish version of this ice cream.
Turkey
Dondurma (in Turkish: Maraş dondurması) is a Turkish mastic ice cream. It's very similar to the Syrian dessert booza.
Dondurma usually includes cream, whipped cream, salep, mastic, and sugar. It's believed to have come from the city of Maraş, which is why it's also known as Maraş ice cream. Dondurma is known for being very thick and chewy, and vendors often play tricks with it using long poles.
United States
In the United States, ice cream made only with cream, sugar, and a flavor (like fruit) is sometimes called "Philadelphia style." Ice creams made with eggs, like frozen custards, are sometimes called "French" ice creams.
Americans eat about 23 liters of ice cream per person each year, which is the most in the world! Ice cream has been a part of American culture since the country was founded in 1776. Records show that Thomas Jefferson, an early president, served it as a special treat to guests. In American supermarkets, you'll find entire walls of freezers filled with all kinds of ice cream.
While chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry are classic favorite flavors, vanilla has become the most popular. This might be because it's often used as a topping for fruit pies and is the main ingredient for milkshakes. Other popular flavors include fruit, nut, and candy mix-in flavors.
