Summary: There is a story (definitely not true) that Martha Washington invented ice cream. Regardless of the story’s truth or fiction, George Washington loved ice cream. So much that he and Martha served it to guests both at Mt. Vernon, and when they were at the president’s home in New York City. While these days ice cream is a ubiquitous summer treat, in the days of the founding fathers, it was definitely a luxury only the very wealthy could afford. In today’s episode, we’ll explore the murky origins of ice cream, what made it such a luxury in Washington’s time, and how ice cream in the colonial and revolutionary eras differed from ice cream as we know it today. And if you want to make ice cream the way the Washington family served it at Mt. Vernon, the Mt. Vernon website has a good recipe for Ice Cream.
