Dolley madison biography ice cream white house

Didn’t Dolley Madison invent ice cream? Or was she just the first to serve it at the White House? And wasn’t oyster ice cream her favorite?

The short answer: No, no, and no.

For the long answer to our ice cream questions, we’ll need to dip into a little more historical research, and see how far we can track the elusive ice cream paper trail.

Dolley Madison may not have invented ice cream, but her name is closely associated with it, as illustrated on this vintage restaurant sign.

Is dolly madison ice cream still in business

Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.

Off to a Chilly Start

No one knows who invented ice cream. Icy treats go back as far as the flavored chipped ice enjoyed in ancient Rome, and the frozen dairy confections developed in China by at least the s.

Italian cooks had learned to freeze (not just chill) their cream using ice and salt by the late s. The earliest English cookbook with a recipe for ice cream was Mrs Mary Eales Receipts in – published 50 years