Life
10 Unusual Ice Cream Flavors From Around The World You've Never Heard Of Before
In honor of National Ice Cream Day, I’ve searched all seven continents to find the most interesting frozen delights and unusual ice cream flavors the world has to offer. Variations of this iconic summer treat are enjoyed around the globe in many forms and flavors.
Global ice cream tastes vary from how the sweet treat is made to what flavors are served. Of course, some are more appetizing than others, and a few are just downright strange — like Germany's spaghettieis ice cream, which is made to look like actual spaghetti. Although this frozen treat varies from country to country, one thing remains the same — it is globally delicious.
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Mexico — Fried Ice Cream
For those who love to combine contrasting flavors, deep-fried ice cream will blow your mind. This treat combines hot fritters with cold ice cream — and it’s delicious! This traditional Mexican dessert is made by deep frying ice cream with tortillas and cinnamon. Now a common favorite in the U.S., most fried ice cream today is made from a breaded scoop of ice cream that is quickly deep-fried to create a crispy, warm shell around the cold ice cream.
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France — Foie Gras Ice Cream
Foie gras is a luxury food made from the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. Yum. Foie gras ice cream is made with slow baked foie gras, sauternes wine, sugar, egg yolks, butter, and cream. This extremely rich, custardy vanilla ice cream is commonly served between two soft gingerbread cookies.
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India — Kulfi Ice Cream
Kulfi is made from milk boiled down into a thick liquid. When served, the vendor mixes the ice cream with an assortment of log-shaped kulfi (the “mix” option). Kulfi is known to have a velvety smooth texture, but it’s denser and creamier than the ice cream we know.
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Turkey — Dondurma (Maras) Ice Cream
Dondurma is made from milk, sugar, and salep (the powdered bulbs of wild orchids). It is believed to have originated from the city of Maraş, which is why it’s also known as Maras ice cream. The traditional Turkish dondurma is sweetened and flavored with an aromatic resin. When dissolved in milk, the galactomannan chains becomes dense and thickens the milk. The dondurma-maker then pounds and stretches the ice cream into an elastic mass. The process is very similar to kneading dough. Portions of the firm, chewy ice cream are then cut with a knife and served.
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Germany — Spaghettieis Ice Cream
As you can see, this German ice cream dish is made to look like a plate of spaghetti. Spaghettieis is made by extruding vanilla ice cream through a modified potato ricer, giving it the appearance of noodles. It’s then topped with strawberry sauce to create the appearance of tomato sauce and either coconut flakes, grated almonds, or white chocolate shavings to represent the Parmesan cheese. Basically, the Germans put a sweet twist on this Italian-looking dish. And personally, I applaud their creativity.
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Philippines — Ube Ice Cream
Ube is a purple-colored yam found in the tropics, and frozen fresh grated ube is popular in all of Southeast Asia. It is native to the Philippines and is not to be confused with Taro or purple sweet potatoes. Ube is used not only to make ice cream, but also cakes, cookies, and jam.
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Israel — Halva Ice Cream
Halva is a sweet common in the Middle East. The key ingredient is sesame seeds, which are smashed into a paste with sugar or honey. The Israeli ice cream is made of sesame Halva, tahini paste, eggs, cream, and sugar, and is usually topped with pistachios and date syrup. There’s a dry but earthy softness to it, kind of like a Snickers ice cream bar.
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Indonesia — Puter Ice Cream
Puter means “stirred ice cream,” and is made from coconut milk, coconut flesh, and sugar, but no cream, so it’s perfect if you’re looking for dairy-free ice cream. The traditional ice cream is presented on a flank of bread sprinkled with either roasted peanuts, chocolate sprinkles, or black steamed rice.
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Scotland — Haggis Ice Cream
Haggis is a Scottish dish made of sheep innards and is traditionally sealed up sausage-style that the Scottish then like to extract into ice cream. Not that this would be a shock to Brits, who also love eating Seriously Stilton ice cream made by dairy company Churchfields Farms. Haggis ice cream is reported to be quite strong tasting because the ice cream is more blended rather than chunky.
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France — Avocado Ice Cream
Finally, two of my favorite toppings in one dish! Avocado à la mode. Just kidding — I’m not exactly sure how appetizing this would be, but it seems to be all the rage in France. Apparently avocado’s creamy deliciousness converts into ice cream nicely. And if anything, at least you can pretend it’s healthy because it’s made from fruit!
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