I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream
Who does not know about this song by Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians? If you want to refresh the memories.. check this out here.
With such severe summers all around, I am sure Icecream is on your mind.
I had spent my growing up years in the small university town of Hisar in Haryana. We were staying on the university campus away from the main city. The campus had a small shopping complex, where we used to get basics but not more than that. Ice cream was not basic and we did not get it there.
The ice cream of my childhood comes from our own refrigerator. yes, there was no option to have it from the market but from mummy's ice cream parlour. As everyone knows, Haryana is known as a hub for milk and milk products, the quality of milk we had was exceptionally good. It had high-fat contents, so it was not as time-consuming as it is today to thicken the milk. Mummy used to let the milk simmer on low heat for a few hours and when it turns pink, sugar, elaichi / saffron, etc were added. Once cooled, it was set in a mould and kept in the freezer.
In the mango season, mango flavour was also dished out from mummy's ice cream parlour. I never liked it as I love mango as a fruit.
cardamom (Elaichi), rooh afza, kewra, and vanilla were other popular flavours at home.
There were not any branded ice cream carts as we can see these days. The news of people falling ill by eating ice creams was common. Milk products do get spoiled faster in summer and in the want of the strict rules and checks, food poisoning cases were always rising. this was one reason, ice cream was always made at home.
I remember about a kulfi which we used to buy only when we go to our friend's place in the city. There was a hand mould which we have to press and it gives some discount. But many times, there was no discount. It was a "tili wali kulfi", which has become a popular kulfi these days. I remember, once I got it for free. It was only for 25 paise in those days. Quantity was sufficient to satiate the sweet tooth.
And then branded ice creams like Kwality and Vadilal entered the market. And mom's ice cream parlours went on a holiday. :(
I bought an ice cream maker when my kids were small to treat them with Kwality style ice cream at home. making ice cream in that ice cream maker was a full day project but it was fun. Both the boys were involved in the whole process and they really loved it after all the hard work :P and wait.
The ice cream market has evolved and grown a lot. But frankly speaking, kulfi is still my favourite flavour of this cold dessert. There was a time when I enjoyed chocolate and other flavours but I have come back to my original love - Kulfi.
I have tried kulfi of all types of different brands, which I can lay my hands on. But the roll-cut kulfi of anjeer/ fig flavour "Asharfi" and plain kulfi of "Havmor" in Ahmedabad is my top choices.
With E-commerce and food processing evolving, there are so many ready mix options to make ice creams at home. You may click here to check the options.
These days, ice cream cakes have also become a rage.
What is your favourite ice cream?
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