By Maren Layton
Ice cream is produced and consumed all year long in almost every corner of the globe, in all shapes and sizes and by individuals old and young.
Ice cream most likely originated in China around 2000 B.C., according to encarda.msn.com. Though ice cream appeared in Italy in the 17th century, the ice cream manufacturing industry didn''t begin in America until 1851.
The United States is the leading producer of ice cream, with nearly three times the production of China, the number two producer.
In addition, Americans also consume more ice cream per capita than any other country.
BYU is no exception to national standards.
'BYU students eat a lot of ice cream,' said Jerry Pingel, production manager for the Dairy Products Lab. 'We produce roughly 144,000 gallons of ice cream per year, and 96,000 of that goes to BYU.'
The Creamery offers over 65 flavors, including LaVell''s Vanilla Bean, Bishop''s Bash and Ernestly Chocolate (introduced at the re-dedication of the Ernest L. Wilkinson Center), Pingel said.
Yet, it seems BYU students don''t like to gamble much with unusual ice cream flavors.
'Outside vanilla, our most popular flavor is probably Ernestly Chocolate,' said Orville Roylance, manager of the Creamery on Ninth. 'And as for toppings, our hot fudge does really well.'
Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Cherry Garcia are the most popular flavors for Ben & Jerry''s, located in Brigham Square, said manager, Dave Smith.
'They''re people''s favorites because they taste good,' Smith said. 'I think people like the big chunks and strong flavors. Everything is really rich.'
Americans consume an average of 23.2 quarts of ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, ices and other commercially produced frozen dairy products each year, according to makeicecream.com.
However, ice cream consumption differs with each season. The cold treat is a fresh remedy to scorching summer days.
Despite a decrease in students, lines at the Creamery on Ninth increase a lot in the summer, Roylance said.
Consumption also varies by region and age. Seattle, Portland, Ore., and St. Louis, Mo., lead the nation in consumption per capita.
Children, ages 2 through 12, and adults, 45 and older, eat the most ice cream per person. More ice cream is sold on Sunday than any other day of the week, according to the Make Ice Cream Web site.
In 1946, as Americans celebrated their World War II victory and sugar rationings were lifted, U.S. per capita consumption reached an all-time high at 23 pounds per person.
Different types of ice creams follow various guidelines.
Regular ice cream is a mixture of dairy ingredients, as well as sweeteners and flavors such as fruits, nuts and chocolate chips. It must contain at least 10 percent milkfat and weigh a minimum of 4.5 pounds to the gallon, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.
Frozen custard must contain 1.4 percent egg yolk solids; sherbet must have between one and two percent milkfat with slightly more sweetener, and frozen yogurt ingredients must be cultured before freezing.
Health fanatics can be assured the 'reduced fat' labels on packaging really are what they profess to be.
To be considered 'reduced fat,' ice cream must have at least 25 percent less fat than the average leading brand. 'Light' ice cream must contain at least 50 percent less total fat or 33 percent fewer calories than average. 'Lowfat' can contain a maximum of 3 grams of total fat per serving and 'nonfat' must contain less than 0.5 fat grams per serving.
For ice cream connoisseurs, the IDFA also has guidelines for aeration and quality ingredients.
Super-premium ice creams have low aeration and high quality ingredients to ensure maximum smoothness while eating. Economy ice creams have relatively higher aeration standards and lower quality ingredients. Premium and regular ice creams fall between super-premium and economy.