Yum! Summer Foods
What’s your favorite summer food? Now is the time to enjoy juicy fruits, fresh vegetables and all-american traditions.
Let’s learn more about some of our summertime standards.
Ice cream
One of the first frozen desserts was made nearly
2,000 years ago. Runners brought snow from the mountains to Roman Emperor
Nero. He flavored it with honey and juices.
In the late 1200s, the Italian explorer Marco Polo brought a sherbet recipe home from Asia. (Sherbet is made with ice and milk.)
In the 1700s, ice cream was popular in America as well. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were big fans.
When rivers froze in the winter, people often collected the river ice. They then stored it in sawdust in special ice houses to make ice cream in warmer weather. But few could afford it.
In the 1900s, electricity and refrigeration made ice cream a treat for everyone.
Apple pie
Apple pie is so popular in the United States that we say, “As American as apple pie.”
Apple pie was probably invented in England. When the Pilgrims came to America, they brought apple seeds and recipes with them.
In the late 1700s, a preacher, John Chapman, began traveling through the Ohio and Indiana frontier, planting apple trees. For about 50 years, he taught settlers how to grow the trees. People began calling him Johnny Appleseed.
Hot dogs
Americans eat about 20 billion hot dogs every year!
No one really knows who invented the hot dog. Experts believe that German immigrants brought sausagemaking recipes to America in the late 1800s.
Some German immigrants also brought over their long dachshund dogs. A sausage served in a bun was called a “dachshund sausage” or “little-dog sausage.” College students started calling them “hot dogs.”
Watermelon
Watermelon was first grown in Africa thousands of years ago. In some African areas during dry spells, watermelons were the only source of water.
European colonists brought watermelons to America.
What are some of your favorite summer foods and traditions? Share and compare your list of the tastiest summer foods with a friend or sibling.