Ice cream

Ice cream, frozen dairy food whose main ingredients are sugar, cream or butterfat, water, flavorings, and air. Ice cream has a high caloric value and a very high vitamin A content, as well as being protein- and calcium-rich. It is also a source of smaller quantities of iron, phosphorus, riboflavin, and thiamin. Water ices, which contain no milk products, have been known since ancient times in Europe and Asia. Ice cream probably reached the United States in the 17th century, and was first commercially manufactured by Jacob Fussel (1851). Today, the United States is the world's largest producer and consumer.