 Fried ice cream is served at many Asian restaurants, particularlyChinese-based ones. | |
| Type | Pastry |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Serving temperature | Warm |
| Main ingredients | Ice cream |
Fried ice cream is adessert made of a scoop ofice cream that is frozen hard, thenbreaded or coated in abatter before being quicklydeep-fried, creating a warm, crispy shell around the still-cold ice cream. It is common in Chinese and Mexican cuisine.[1]
There are conflicting stories about the dessert's origin. Some claim that it was first served during the1893 Chicago World's Fair, where theice cream sundae was also invented.[2] Though in 1894, aPhiladelphia company was given credit for its invention describing: "A small, solid [cake] of the ice cream is enveloped in a thin sheet of pie crust and then dipped into boiling lard or butter to cook the outside to a crisp. Served immediately, the ice cream is found to be as solidly frozen as it was first prepared."[3][4]
It may be derived in part fromBaked Alaska, originating earlier in the 19th century, which puts ice cream under a quickly broiledmeringue.[1]
The dessert is commonly made by taking a scoop of ice cream frozen well below the temperature at which ice cream is generally kept, possibly coating it in raw egg, rolling it in cornflakes or cookie crumbs, and brieflydeep frying it. The extremely low temperature of the ice cream prevents it from melting while being fried.
It may be sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and a touch ofpeppermint; whipped cream or honey may be used, as well.[5]
In the United States, fried ice cream has been associated withAsian cuisine, appearing in reviews of Chinese, Japanese, and Polynesian restaurants in the "Dining Out" section of theNew York Times in the 1970s.
It also came to be associated withMexican cuisine, in large part due to national chainChi-Chi's adopting a fried ice cream made withtortillas andcinnamon as its "signature dessert" when it opened in 1975.[6]
InAustralia, fried ice cream is strongly associated with Asian cuisine and particularlyAustralian Chinese cuisine.[7] It is frequently served with caramel sauce.[8]
