The History of Frozen Desserts
Frozen desserts can be traced back thousands of years in Asia where water ices were first made. In the 13th century, Marco Polo introduced the Asian water ices to Italy. This allowed frozen desserts to grow in popularity and spread throughout Europe. A few centuries later, the Europeans were able to introduce ice cream to the U.S.
Numerous technological advances have made the process of creating frozen desserts easier. For example, in 1848 the first hand-freezer was patented. This lead to the first wholesale ice cream manufacturing company in the U.S. Also, by the 1900s pasteurization machines were developed. This improved the quality and safety of milk while improving the texture of the frozen dairy desserts as well. The production of frozen desserts was simplified even more in the 1940s with the introduction of low-temperature refrigerators. This allowed the frozen dessert industry to expand to new markets such as everyday consumers' homes.
While there is a debate on who actually invented frozen yogurt, the frozen yogurt industry surged in popularity and became mainstream in the 1980s. It became the health conscious alternative to ice cream. People liked how frozen yogurt was just as versatile as ice cream and had fewer calories. According to How Products Are Made, frozen yogurt "offered a tangier flavor than ice cream and more depth in flavor and texture than sherbet." Frozen yogurt soon became available across the U.S. in a variety of different flavors as companies jumped on the bandwagon and opened more frozen yogurt shops.
Frozen yogurt shops have stuck around since then. Now, most of them operate on a serve-yourself system, which gives customers control over the flavors and toppings. This lets the customers express their creativity and ensures they get exactly want they want.