Who Actually Holds The Title For Inventing Fried Ice Cream?

There are few desserts quite like fried ice cream. As one of the most unique ways to enjoy ice cream without a cone, it was all the rage in the 1980s as a signature dessert during the heyday of Chi-Chi's. As creatively inspired as the idea of coating vanilla ice cream with a breading of corn flakes and coconuts before deep-frying it sounds, it makes one wonder who came up with such a gloriously decadent treat in the first place. Well, the answer is a bit muddy; and, despite its popularity, Chi-Chi's recipe was more of a successful Tex-Mex fusion rather than being authentically Mexican. That said, the research does show that fried ice cream isn't a recent invention and actually dates back to the late 19th century.

Many claims point to it being introduced during the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, although no sources accredit any of the attendees for its debut. Others say that a small Philadelphia company invented it, but no one attributes a name to said company. However, correlating evidence in the 1886 "Mrs. Rorer's Philadelphia Cook Book: A Manual of Home Economics" cites a recipe for the closely related Baked Alaska, which normally consists of ice cream and cake wrapped and baked in meringue. Baking is different from deep-frying, but this recipe doesn't call for cake, and the basic concept of cooking ice cream within an insulator like meringue is present here. While that might provide an answer to the dessert's origin, it could also mean that fried ice cream is actually a Baked Alaska offshoot, placing fried ice cream's technical origins in New York's Delmonico's restaurant in 1867 where Baked Alaska was invented.

Moving into the 20th century, lore circulated that fried ice cream as we know it was influenced by Japanese tempura ice cream. However, there isn't any evidence to support this before it became popular in the 1960s, but it can still be appreciated among the offshoots of the deep-fried dessert. Furthering the influence of Baked Alaska, tempura ice cream also incorporates a pound cake as part of its fried outer coating. In that same cross-cultural spirit, New Bo Wa, a Chinese restaurant in Australia, created a tempura ice cream spin that removes the usual flour and swaps out pound cake for madeira cake. Additionally, other cultures have offered their own spins, such as crema fritta in Italy, which was first served in 1948 and switches the ice cream for custard.

While fried ice cream's exact origins remain shrouded in mystery, it can't be denied that Baked Alaska likely played a factor in its conception given the current timeline. Be that as it may, all this research can make one hungry and might inspire you to give it a try yourself. It may not be as popular in restaurants these days, but fried ice cream can be made at home with just a little preparation and effort. Ree Drummond prepares hers in a bread batter of cinnamon toast squares, swaps dulce de leche for vanilla ice cream, and uses butter rather than oil. The customization options are endless, and you can even make it at home in an air fryer.