As we all celebrate the arrival of summer, there are several things to look forward to. For some, it may be the re-opening of golf courses, for others it may be getting your bike out of the garage and taking it out on the open road. For me, it’s the ice cream shops conveniently located near parks where I can take a long stroll while enjoying a delicious and refreshing ice cream cone. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, approximately 1.53 billion gallons of ice cream and related frozen desserts were produced in the US in 2011. The US ice cream industry generated total revenues of $10 billion in 2010. Needless to say, people love ice cream. But, with an increasing variety of flavors to choose from each year, it’s hard to guess which is the most popular flavor among consumers.

7. French Vanilla (3.8%)

It shouldn’t surprise you that traditional vanilla ice cream is still a favorite, especially in North America where vanilla ice cream is so…American. This ice cream’s popularity is likely due to the sweet, fragrant flavor infused by the vanilla bean, which is actually a type of edible orchid.

Now, for vanilla ice cream enthusiasts, there is a difference between plain old vanilla and rich and creamy French vanilla. Where traditional vanilla ice cream is made from the aforementioned vanilla bean pod, or a chemical flavor equivalent (usually vanillin); the French vanilla flavor features egg yolks and egg custard for the thicker, creamier consistency.

6. Chocolate Chip (3.9%)

Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite so it shouldn’t surprise you in the least that chocolate chip ice cream is also almost at the top of the charts. In fact, if you recall the famous Howard Johnson’s restaurants, which featured an impressive list of delicous ice cream flavors…28 to be exact, ever since the year 1928.

The restaurant prided itself on traditional favorites, like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, but gradually increased that list of incorporate 28 in total, which were manufactured in Johnson’s own factories. Chocolate chip remained the number 3 most famous flavor overall, according to a 1948 story in Life (magazine).

5. Neapolitan (4.2%)

First created in the late 19th century, neopolitan ice cream features the evident blocks of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream attached side by side in the same container with no packaging in between. Although some brands do intermix the flavors with more of a swirl affect, the color blocking method is the most famous.

Neapolitan ice cream was named for it’s Italian origins. The ice cream flavor was believed to be made popular by Neapolitan immigrants when they first traveled to the U.S. If you compare the color blocking of white, brown, and pink it slightly resembles the colors in the to resemble the Italian flag, but also the red, white, and blue of the American flag.

4. Strawberry (5.3%)

Fresh, sweet, and summery strawberry ice cream is never a disappointment. Strawberry ice cream of today is typically made with fresh strawberries (chunks or ripples) or with strawberry flavoring, along with vanilla, eggs, cream, and sugar. The famous pink ice cream has an iconic reputation as one of the most favorite flavors.

However, this ice cream flavor dates back to roughly 1813, when it was served at the second inauguration of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, a man hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for his role in drafting of the US constitution. That’s quite a serious legacy for such a fun-filled ice cream flavor.

3. Butter Pecan (5.3%)

Always among ice cream shops (like Baskin Robins) famous menu of flavors, butter pecan ice cream features roasted and chopped pecans, vanilla, and crispy butter coating. It’s the slightly buttery (or toffee) flavor that has made butter pecan one of North America’s most famous flavors.

Often times, butter pecan ice cream will feature a cookie crumble, however, the actual butter pecan is meant to be nuts covered in a signature sweet, buttery coating. You will likely find many variations of butter pecan, including butter almond, butter almond, and almost every other nut imaginable.

2. Chocolate (8.9%)

It shouldn’t surprise you that chocolate ice cream lands second on the list of most famous American ice cream flavors. The first chocolate ice cream is reputed to have been enjoyed in Naples, Italy around 1692. Chocolate was also created proior to vanilla ice cream, as hot chocolate was turned into a frozen dessert way back in seventeenth-century Europe.

However, chocolate ice cream didn’t became popular in America until well into the late nineteenth century. At this time its’ believed that Italian immigrants brought the recipe over and shared it with their new countrymen and women. The chocolate ice cream of today is made with eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla ice cream and cocoa powder. However, cocoa powder and chocolate liquor are often added to give it a chocolatey taste.

1. Vanilla (29%)

Vanilla as a flavor was first recorded as used in food by the Aztecs during the 1500’s. It was introduced to the Spanish conquistadors when they traveled across Mesonamerica. The Spanish were transfixed by the many ways vanilla was used in traditional Indian food and drinks, which is why the Spanish brought the vanilla bean back to Spain and throughout Europe by the 1600’s.

Vanilla ice cream was thought to have been invented in Asia in the fourteenth century. Ice cream making spread from East to Europe when Moors and Arabs traveled to Spain and refrigeration became prominent in Europe. By the early 18th century, Italians and French were making vanilla ice cream, or frozen vanilla desserts by making smooth iced concoctions blended with sugar, eggs, and egg yolks in the recipe. The first ice cream recipes recorded by the French in the early eighteenth century did not include egg yolks.

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