How did ancient civilizations make ice cream? - Vivian Jiang

Trace the history of ice cream, from the first accounts of cold desserts in the 1st century to the cream-based treat we know today.
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Ice cream has a unique role in our world’s history, culture, and cravings. The first accounts of cold desserts date back to the first century, in civilizations including ancient Rome, Mughal India, and Tang Dynasty China. Yet the cream-based delicacy we know today made a much later debut. So, how did the delicious sweet treat come to be? Vivian Jiang shares the scoop on the history of ice cream.
Lesson by Vivian Jiang, directed by Masayoshi Nakamura, Good General.
Music and sound design by Zak Engel.
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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Anthony Benedict, Karthik Balsubramanian, Annastasshia Ames, Amy Lopez, Vinh-Thuy Nguyen, Liz Candee, Ugur Doga Sezgin, Karmi Nguyen, John C. Vesey, Yelena Baykova, Nick Johnson, Carlos H. Costa, Jennifer Kurkoski, Ryan B Harvey, Akinola Emmanuel, Jose Arcadio Valdes Franco, Sebastiaan Vleugels, Karl Laius, JY Kang, Abhishek Goel, Heidi Stolt, Nicole Sund, Karlee Finch, Mario Mejia, Denise A Pitts, Doug Henry, Keven Webb, Mihai Sandu, Deepak Iyer, Javid Gozalov, Kyanta Yap, Rebecca Reineke, William Biersdorf, Patricia Alves Panagides, Yvette Mocete, Cyrus Garay, Samuel Barbas, LadyGeek, Marin Kovachev, Penelope Misquitta, Hans Peng, Gaurav Mathur, Erik Biemans, Tony, Michelle, Katie and Josh Pedretti, Hoai Nam Tran, Kack-Kyun Kim, Michael Braun-Boghos, zjweele13, Anna-Pitschna Kunz and Edla Paniguel.

[@ec.__.]

I'm a Japanese student and learning English.TED-Ed helps me gain my listening skill.I will study a lot to be a great English speaker:)

[@FraudGuruExpert.]

good luck to us, also learning nihongo.

[@deoae9259]

good luck! It can be difficult to learn another language, but you must never give up! And don't be scared of making mistakes, because we're all learning 😊

[@sametcalsknn]

I absolutely agree with you. This kind of full of information videos with interesting topics are like amazing chance to take advantage of.

[@katherineknapp4370]

So far, so good. 😊

[@8bit-ld2mk]

Good luck I’ve been speaking English my entire life it’s my only language and I still mess up on words and don’t get me started on grammar and spelling.😅

[@bhaveerathod2373]

The fact that something like ice cream seems trivial and common to us today makes us SUCH a tiny population of all humans who’ve ever lived to think so.

[@micahbush5397]

Not as small as you might think, considering that the world population in past millennia was a small fraction of what is is today. Most estimates I've seen suggest that the total number of people who have ever lived is somewhere in the range of 100 billion to 120 billion, 8 billion of which are currently living.

[@bhaveerathod2373]

@@micahbush5397 woah now that’s a whole new perspective… it’s common knowledge but at the same time mind blowing when you really think about it…

[@coltafanan]

Close to 10% of all humans who ever lived are alive now so it’s not an insignificant fraction

[@bhaveerathod2373]

@@coltafanan yea I know now, that was a revolting realisation 😂

[@donaldhobson8873]

@@coltafanan And roughly half of those humans have easy access to ice cream.

[@Rapglaze]

"In Ice Cream we trust" ~Charles Baxter

[@honor9lite1337]

Agrre

[@ramonsanchez9954]

Amen to that

[@firaswijayakoi]

"In Donkeys we thrust" ~Balls Buster

[@VinixRonaldoGOAT]

@@firaswijayakoi haha lol

[@ZR3009]

Amen

[@dawakat08]

Ice Cream is how I got my wife lol, we met through online dating and her question prompt for me was “What’s my favorite kind of ice cream”. I told her Cookies and Creme because when I was a kid my dad would work late into the night, come home, get me, and we would have a bowl of cookies and crème together and those are fond memories for me. Well that answer was good enough, 5 years later we’re still together and go out for ice cream about once a month lol

[@leyamonis5348]

that is a nice love story, power to the both of you :))

[@ZR3009]

That's pretty sweet

[@kurtenjoyer9353]

Pretty sweet huh yeah it sure​@@ZR3009

[@JensdC]

Aw❤

[@bethanyoneal5789]

❤

[@barozzi_]

They screamed, and screamed, and all screamed for ice cream:)

[@honor9lite1337]

Agree

[@doesntmatter7560]

*creamed

[@bahutbharatiya3946]

I scrum, you scrum, we all scrum for ice scrum

[@fallenangelofoz8726]

I scream, you scream, we all scream for our collective descent into madness...and ice cream.

[@firenzarfrenzy4985]

"I scream, you scream, we all scream... In the terrible house fire at the family reunion" - Chuckles the clown

[@toonwachi600]

_"Our love for ice cream will never thaw."_ As an ice cream lover, I love this quote 😇♥️🍨

[@Mbob-yl8ud]

@toonwachi600 Would you eat ice cream if it were snowing outside?

[@chip_justchip]

was eating ice cream when i saw the notification, are yall spies?

[@ShubhGG12]

if this video was by michael (vsauce), then probably yeah

[@noahboat580]

Reported for misinformation: Google spy's on us not TED ED

[@noahboat580]

This is a lie: Google is the one spying on us not TED Ed

[@noahboat580]

I would mention Google spying on us but they won't let me comment

[@jogennotsuki]

@@noahboat580 And yet here you are, mentioning Google spying on you...

[@awesomehpt8938]

Antonio Latini should get the Nobel prize.

[@vooteimer1234]

I know because there is no war now that ice cweam exists

[@mecahhannah]

Agreed

[@CHlNAZI]

which one? Peace prize😂?

[@davidralte5629]

All😅​@@CHlNAZI

[@MiguelPerez-zx2wg]

​@vooteimer1234 Actually there's was a war for ice cream back in Scotland in the 80s.

[@underarmbowlingincidentof1981]

0:40 these animations are so entertaining did this video NEED Castro T-posing while entering the ice cream wormhole of psychidelic transcendance? no. is it awesome? yeah!!

[@apcolleen]

Do they need to make Ireland bigger on the map ? Yeah!! 3:26

[@Charlie-imagirl]

For the last 47 years I've been researching this, thank you for answering my questions.

[@unicornmaster1263]

I'm sure with one Google Search you could have found it lol

[@KindQueen1004]

47 years thinking about ice cream? Lol 😅

[@littledudefromacrossthestr5755]

​@@unicornmaster1263fr 💀

[@thesciemathist6035]

@@unicornmaster1263 You casually destroying the guy's whole career.

[@Charlie-imagirl]

@@unicornmaster1263 What's google? Never heard of it.

[@meldagoknel5510]

Sherbet was the mother of Sorbet! It was fresh fruit smashed with honey and ice made into a slush. A popular desert of the Ottoman Empire. They bringing ice from Uludag mountains wrapped in special bags made from goat skin. It was introduced to Europe when Ottomans first started their political and diplomatic relations with France mid 17 th century. And one should also include the popsicle and coating the ice cream with chocolate that it doesn’t melt immediately .

[@chevchevir]

Aah so that's it cause I was a bit confused why they mentioned sorbet but not sherbet

[@PhucThinh1505]

As a video editor, I admire the ones who made this video possible and so vivid!

[@Jon-Rimmer]

I love this art style. Could easily watch a whole movie in an updated version of this video.

[@camerongrow6426]

4:25 I'm sorry what mysteries does Ice Cream have? What is my Rocky Road hiding from me?

[@TheeDeeM]

The animation for this was so cute. Idk why but it had me giggling all the way through. Kudos to the animators.

[@EcomCarl]

Incredible to see how ice cream has evolved from a luxury for the elite to a beloved treat worldwide! The intersection of technology and culinary art has not only made ice cream more accessible but also a canvas for endless innovation and creativity. 🍦

[@LawatheMEid]

There is old Turkish icecream which was put in jars and rammed continually with wooden thick sticks, it is famous in Damascus.

[@lit-e4q]

Türk dondurmasının ünlü olmasının asıl sebebi çabuk erimez. Sert ve kalitelidir. Tadını çıkarın !💓

[@LawatheMEid]

@@lit-e4q English please, or Arabic.

[@lumisherbert5682]

@@LawatheMEid Translation: (LOOSE, and I have no idea if it's right, since it was automatic) The main reason why Turkish ice cream is famous is that it does not melt quickly. It is hard and high quality. Enjoy!

[@hamilton9076]

​@@LawatheMEidno Arabic pls

[@parkmin7377]

I like the way that the animation explained everything so anyone can understand without knowing much english

[@Wyattinous]

Came for the animation, stayed for the education! And the animation… ❤

[@NjAutumn14]

Now, I'm craving ice cream... Chocolate ice cream

[@unicornmaster1263]

Same

[@victor9]

"Soft serve" ice cream is superior in every way, shape, texture, and form! 🍦

[@Lucc5822]

You dare start a war in the comment section?! So be it.

[@Becky_Cooling]

Will it soft serve?

[@TEDEd]

Don't mind us, we're just here for the comments 🍿👀

[@ADoodler1]

Someone make the drama already

[@kindlyevilbgm]

OBJECTION! You don’t get nearly as many flavors with soft serve, making hard ice cream superior!

[@fallenangelofoz8726]

My grandpa grew up in Venice Beach, CA and his first job was working at an ice cream parlor on the Santa Monica pier. He claimed that his boss, the owner, was the guy who invented the ice cream cone at the 1893 World's Fair. Can't say for sure if that was true or not, but it's a cool family story.

[@TheBak124]

love the way they used colours, am graving ice cream now

[@HawkknightXC88]

I learned so much history from this channel. Like Historical Food how it's made and how civilizations made their own versions of Food like Ice Cream and etc. You guys are Amazing with Historical Facts and History.

[@patrickblanchette4337]

Thank you for this delicious historical treat😋!

[@talithacumiferguson8834]

Ice Cream has always been and always will be my #1 favorite dessert of all time since I was a little girl and it's considered to the #1 best dessert in the world, in my opinion. So, if any Cake/Pie Lovers come up to me and ask me, "Which is better, Cake or Pie?" I will straight up tell them "Neither. Ice Cream is better than both desserts combined."

[@zagritbasnet4168]

Animation,narrative and music blends so well its a perfect video to learn something.

[@ElusiveMoth5]

Seeing this video in my feed while eating ice cream is a next level of coincidence.

[@chip_justchip]

SAME

[@giladkay3761]

Seeing this in my feed while not eating ice cream is a next level of depression

[@SharowbladyeGaymerPorate]

Dammmm the animation is just…how is it that good…. (Hard work and good planning)

[@sanity66zetpe58]

From the earliest times we have always enjoyed the fresh respite that ice cream can give us from the heat, it is beautiful we have exeperienced the same taste for millenia.

[@sodaisoverrated]

Finally, a video that answers the worlds greatest questions known to mankind.

[@claudioestevez1028]

I like how they just casually discussed an international assassination attempt.

[@AbdoAzmy2005]

I was playing a mobile game when the notification came, I was like FINALLY 😂 a question that needs an answer

[@Jelian5974]

Thanks, Ted-Ed. Now I need some ice cream.

[@agas-safa5457]

I would've thought faloodeh would garner a mention saying that the Persian dessert dates back centuries and is seen as one of the first frozen desserts

[@RadOnion48]

Best and tastiest lesson ever I love Ted Ed and ice cream

[@mewsingsbynatk]

Perfect video for the summer. ☀️🍦🍨

[@Steve-kk7wj]

Although health concerns due to ice cream are on the rise, I feel that having this icy treat once in a while is no big deal, especially when it's hard to eat with a canker sore in your mouth.

[@ThePickledsoul]

I swear, your animators are something else. Never the same animation. I like it.

[@dilnozaibaydullayeva5195]

Our love for ice cream will never thaw. > I love this quote😊

[@TheCoranub]

I love these animations! :D

[@YuzuruHakushaku]

you say ancient Persians did this or that, it is true but it is not that such things were forgotten, Persians still use the sharbat version along with Ice cream and you could see street vendors for hundreds of years so at least this one was not new to Persians. but Persians do not know what soda is yet alone Soda fountain.

[@MrSuperpiff4]

This video brought me joy

[@MumboMod]

3:10 The New England businessman (Ice King) was actually named Simon Petrikov

[@Abbood_1]

I always wondered for a long time how they used to freeze ice cream before the invention of the refrigerator! I hope to get some convincing answers from this video

[@RuxshonaAxrorova-sm2bd]

I am from in Uzbekistan but Ted helps me improve my listening skill.llearning a lot of facts and Ted helps me l belive Ted is the best

[@ba.nguyen]

Uzbekistan is my hometown ❤

[@ru_hehe]

Bro the animation is so good?!

[@anonymous-sf3ul]

the animation is soo smooth

[@user-ct6gx7uj5l]

I have a question on the subject: how did they have ice on the 1800s in there was no electricity to sustain a refrigerator and therefore make an ice cream? Also if they shipped ice why it didn't melt on the way??🤔

[@nou-rt9sw]

you pack it in straw! it serves as a good insulator.

[@AlejanderLong]

Yesterday, I made homemade ice cream, and it took me hours. I ate it, and now I'm sick.🤒🤧 The ice cream powder for making ice cream was a gift from my mom, because the day before yesterday was my birthday.🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲

[@AlejanderLong]

IT's not just hours,It's 5 hours.

[@itz_mm_sisterz6770]

No matter how long it’s been eaten for, ice cream will always be a delicious frozen sweet treat!

[@Hallows4]

Dolley Madison was also famous for serving ice cream at the White House parties she hosted.

[@thenovicenovelist]

Either I read it in a book or heard it from Tasting History, but supposedly Andrew Jackson's people used ice cream and some type of alcohol to lure people out of the White House after Jackson's inauguration because they made a mess in the place.

[@أبوهشام-م2ر]

اللهم إني أعوذ بك من علم لا ينفع ، و من قلب لا يخشع ، و من نفس لا تشبع ، و من دعوة لا يستجاب لها . رواه مسلم

[@quentindonahue9042]

I was actually hoping you guys would do a video on the history of ice cream

[@ThrillSeeker3524]

Do you think Frederic Tudor kept a penguin named Gunther?

[@525Lines]

Soda was sold in drug stores as a kind of artificial mineral water. Taste the pop without the syrup and you'll taste what mineral water tastes like. Sweet flavorings were added as was carbonation since some mineral springs produced sparkling mineral water.

[@gustavocarvalholoboleite3526]

Hey Ted -ed sugestion make a video about the Los Angeles ritos of 1992

[@ChrisSparks-zp8ue]

One think is comments can agree on is that most of watch some like this know that it’s well above our knowledge

[@escapewith_me]

Delightful animation and sound

[@mooncake8254]

Ice cream used to be soo luxurious. That it's considered eating gold leaf. Because of ice and vanilla.

[@alikurtulan6621]

You must taste ice cream in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye 🇹🇷

[@corradofearless1860]

From the cradle of civilization, to Dutch ice cream and of course with the Turkish sales style.

[@robertobradford3968]

Just a quick observation about the video. The tub that Fidel Castro is eating out of says "Helado" on the side. That wouldn't've been the case because he was Cuban. The Spanish word for ice cream varies depending on the country. Helado is what ice cream is called in Mexico and some parts of Central America. Cubans call it mantecado. It is also called nieve and crema in other places.

[@belenconapellido2677]

I loved the animation!! ❤

[@Yas-gs8cm]

Okay so Persians invented Ice Cream too... I'm a lil' bit proud.

[@raginggerman5377]

Why? Did you invent it yourself?

[@Yas-gs8cm]

@@raginggerman5377 No. I work in software not food industry. For that matter: It's called "being a part of something." Head to a church this Sunday, they explain it better there. Seems you lack a healthy dose of it bruh.

[@PowerOfAIandMotivation]

Great video, thank you!

[@joeyp1927]

It's funny that she only mentions the Tang dynasty (618=907 AD) in passing, when it produced arguably the first concoction, sushan, that could be considered ice cream. Made with cow or goat milk, ice, honey, and sometimes flavored with camphor (the 'vanilla' of the day), it was a milky-creamy-icy-sweet desert. Sounds pretty much like ice cream to me. Other KZbinrs, including a history buff from Britain, have argued that this Tang confection was the first ice cream. But Vivian Jiang, being Chinese, was probably afraid of seeming partial if she even implied that her ancestors might have played a bigger role than others in creating this icy-cold treat.

[@robert9662]

I first heard this story as a global collaboration that eventaul gave us the ice cream we know today. Tedx skips over earlier forms of ice cream to give most of the credit to the USA.

[@kalebgonzales4009]

*“Kulfi is basically like icecream, and it’s a very popular frozen dessert in Pakistan. You know Saturdays are my cheat days!”*

[@Nathan08099]

Can you please make a video about "how many years would it take for a human being to learn everything there is to know". Thank you in advance

[@Offbeige]

I would hardly call Mughal India an “ancient” “civilization”.

[@huskerdust211]

0:29 imagine having an assassin being sent against you because you eat too much ice cream

[@shaylah2725]

Ice cream is my favorite pastime. yall should see my freezer. I appreciate this ❤

[@Dara-wk5ty]

My parents only had a refrigerator around the 80's Then again it was Poland behind the Iron curtain For most of their childhood they had to boil meat into a liquid to preserve it

[@BrandokMeistro]

Why would I ever need to know this information, yet I’m still watching this.

[@williammoore27]

Ice cream should just include the frozen flavors in the spring & summer like chocolate, vanilla, watermelon & so much more!🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞😋😋😋😋😋😋

[@jaineilsart1528]

Your words don't intimidate me! I conquered them long, long ago. Oh, it's time to eat icecream. 🤩

[@koyeldas9950]

Please make more videos about food history ❤

[@LiJiayiScgps]

Eating Ice Cream and watching this! ✋

[@Isleepnodraw]

Mm..ice cream. Thanks for the video! Always entertaining, and helps me study.

[@dsm1986]

Good job ted ed!

[@sabrasabranise3335]

I don’t like ice cream but it was still interesting to watch and learn !

[@근의공식]

Hello, I am a student from Korea. I really enjoyed the video as a ice cream lover. However, if it is not rude, I want to tell you that in 01:01 and 03:32, Korea is painted with China, making Korea kinda look like a part of China. If you make another video like this in the future, can you please treat Korea as a separate country with China? Thank you for always making good videos!

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Favourite topic without a bias

[@mickeymouse5652]

Still uploading with great interesting animations in 2024 keep up the great work 👍💯 love the content always

[@tranquan3967]

Our love for ice cream will never thaw 🎉🎉🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦❤

[@thituannhanguyen2056]

Why does the third freezer looks so good😊

[@AddieMeier]

When you realize that the Founding Fathers ate ice cream... I don't know why but this blows my mind

[@mestre12]

I love this food history videos.

[@MazokuJun]

Video titled "How did ancient civilizations make ice cream" none of the video talked about "How", pretty much just "When" It doesn't even need that much time to tell you "How" from the point the video taught the sky icing method. A metal plate placed on top of the ice(add salt to lower melting point) and juice/milk is poured in it and stirred to cool down enough to form ice crystals.

[@lenhobbies6797]

"our love for Ice Cream will never thaw" very well said😋🍦🍧🍨

[@iftekhar77]

ted ed are beautifully crafted

[@Komorebi007]

As a Foodie and knowledge craving person, I❤You TED-ed and team . Thank you for curing my hunger pangs😁🍜🤞🏻

[@frayansertzrave]

I really love ice cream! ❤🍦 Here in the Philippines, we call it "Sorbetes" (sherbet in english as said to this video). It was influenced during American colonization here and that's how a lot of us liked the street style ice cream sold by our vendors here. Each flavors were made in different flavorings like chocolate, mango, coconut, peanut, quezo (cheese), and strawberry.

[@strawbearymimi]

i love this artform so much

[@cosmiccake791]

Was eating ice cream when I saw this lol😂

[@azraieruslim]

So ice cream was invented in the desert? Maybe thats why we call it dessert.

[@phucnguyenminh2421]

I love ice cream. This helps me know well about the thing i like

[@katherineknapp4370]

"I scream you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream "

[@OHPIKACHUKACHU]

WOW I LOVE ICE CREAM, SO I LOVE THIS VIDEO