This Vintage Cucumber-Flavored Ice Cream From The 1800s Is Honestly Pretty Intriguing

The history of ice cream is a lot longer and more fascinating than most people think. From the country where it was invented to the ice cream flavors of yesteryear, there's a lot more to this sweet, creamy treat than meets the eye. There are also quite a few flavors that used to be popular centuries ago and that are now fascinating to revisit, including ice cream flavored with vegetables.

We typically think of fruits like strawberries when it comes to produce-based ice cream but back in the 1800s, cucumber-flavored ice cream was in style. Invented in 1885 by Agnes Bertha Marshall, who is often called the "Queen of Ices" thanks to her ice cream cookbooks and ice cream-making tools, cucumber ice cream was meant to be simple and refreshing. Inspired by popular side dishes like cooked cucumber, the vegetable ice cream was thought of as a great way to end a summer meal.

By modern standards, cucumber is definitely an unexpected ingredient for making ice cream. The flavor's popularity waned as public tastes shifted but today some people have circled back to cucumber-flavored ice cream out of historical fascination. In fact, plenty of home cooks, restaurants, and ice cream companies have resurrected the Victorian-era flavor. Who knows, maybe the time for cucumber ice cream is upon us once again.

In Agnes Bertha Marshall's recipe, cucumber ice cream is made with cucumber, sugar, ginger brandy, lemon juice, and sweetened cream or custard. The cucumber needed to be peeled and seeded, then cooked until tender before being incorporated into the ice cream. Green food coloring was also used to give it a vibrant hue.

One thing that stands out about the original recipe is the use of ginger brandy. This ingredient specifically is harder to find in modern-day shops; as such, many recipes replace it with ginger wine or homemade ginger brandy. Other than that, the original recipe can be made as is.

There are quite a few tweaked recipes out there too. Persian cucumbers specifically are more common in modern versions of cucumber ice cream. Many recipes also add other ingredients like egg yolks, mint leaves, vanilla extract, honey, coconut milk, protein powder, and more. Regardless of the recipe, those who have made or tried cucumber ice cream have often described it as cool, creamy, and refreshing.