Frozen delights, hot trends

Spring screams for ice cream. As soon as the sun warms up the first buds in the trees, meter-long queues appear in front of German ice cream parlors. The Association of the German Confectionary Industry estimates that Germans eat an average of 110 scoops a year. That's about 7.6 liters.

Different historical sources indicate the Chinese invented ice cream: Thousands of years ago, they mixed it out of snow, milk, water and fruit. The Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed ice cream to relieve inflammation, swelling or abdominal pain. Today, one country is particularly famous for its gelato: Italy. Every year, the Ice Cream World Championship is held in the city of Rimini.

Most Germans lick their ice cream. At least, that's what 38 percent of the participants in a representative survey admitted doing. 21 percent prefer to use a spoon, while 18 percent bite their frozen sweets. Finally, an eccentric five percent said they stir their ice cream in a cup until it becomes creamy enough to drink it.

A large majority of Germans buy their ice cream at the supermarket instead of going to the ice cream parlor - 81.6 percent, according to the confectionary industry. Only 15.9 percent of all ice cream sold in Germany is artisanal. Soft ice cream sold in fast food chains and vending machines takes up 2.5 percent of the market's share.

Recognizing an ice cream parlor from afar is a skill acquired at the youngest age in Germany. Parents do not need to feel guilty every time they give in to their offspring's whines for frozen treats. According to the German Nutrition Society DGE, "In small quantities and consciously enjoyed as a dessert, ice cream is not necessarily a calorie bomb."

There are about 9,000 ice cream parlors in Germany. According to Uniteis, the association of artisanal ice cream makers in Germany, about 3,300 of them produce their own ice cream. With over 500 ice cream parlors, Berlin has the most extensive offer in the country. The Ruhr region, Rhineland and Bavaria also hold their good share of artisanal ice cream parlors.

Like cupcakes and macarons, the ice cream sandwich is being reinvented as a creative food trend. In 2014, the most popular flavors of ice cream in Germany were the usual classics: Chocolate, followed by vanilla and hazelnut. But you can always go for a more unusual kind, such as the beer ice cream in Bavaria. New frozen treats are being created each year.

Peach and lavender, chocolate and chili or pear and parmesan: Ice cream artisans add an unusual ingredient to the classics to create new trends. For 2015, the association Uniteis selected balsamic strawberry ice cream as the flavor of the year. Some frozen sweets producers also take into account the needs of vegans and of people with food allergies.

The basic ingredients for ice cream are milk and other milk products such as cream and butter, as well as different forms of sugar. Vegans can now find ice cream varieties which are dairy-free. The lupin bean is a popular ingredient in new vegan recipes. This year's vegan top trends are matcha ice cream, a Japanese flavor made with green tea, and green smoothie popsicles.

It's actually not that complicated to make your own ice cream at home. The possibilities are endless - you don't even need an ice cream maker. Mix pureed fruit, cream and milk to create your own yummy sorbets and gelati. There is one major disadvantage, though: You'll have to wait about four hours for your ice cream. In the meantime, you might as well drop by your favorite ice cream parlor...