The History of Neapolitan Ice Cream

Modern ice cream was invented by a chef named Antonio Latini in Naples in the late 17th century and the treat soon became quite popular in the region. When Italian immigrants arrived in the U.S. in the 19th century, they brought their ice cream traditions with them. In fact, most early ice cream shops in America were run by Italian immigrants. Because of this, the English-speaking press often referred to any flavor of the new frozen treat as “Neapolitan-style.” Additionally, back in Naples, a frozen, layered dessert called spumoni was very popular. When Italian immigrants arrived in the U.S. and began opening ice cream parlors, they created a version of the dessert that used layers of pistachio, vanilla, and cherry to pay homage to the Italian flag. Over time, other vendors Americanized the dessert, replacing the pistachio layer with chocolate ice cream and the cherry layer with strawberry ice cream. The trio of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream soon became synonymous with the term Neapolitan ice cream. When freezer aisles were added to grocery stores and pre-packaged ice cream began showing up on the shelves, Neapolitan ice cream quickly became a family favorite, in part because it offered three beloved ice cream flavors in one container! Today, Neapolitan ice cream remains very popular throughout the United States.