Ice creams for the beach
Ice cream is here to stay and we are used to eating it all year round, but summer remains its peak season.
The sweltering heat conjures up images of colourful cones and ice lollies, and tempt us uncontrollably while our boss is pestering us with his pre-holiday demands or our kids are nagging us to take them to the seaside.
The wonderful thing is that at this point in history we have a truly endless variety to choose from. We have already seen how and why individually wrapped ice creams are more convenient than artisan ice cream. We have also seen this year’s boom of ice cream sandwiches, which became a real trend in summer 2023.
And ice cream or ice lollies are the wisest choice to make on the beach.
This is firstly for practical reasons as you can find them at seaside cafés. Of course, it becomes a bit more complicated if you opt for a Robinson Crusoe-type holiday… but in that case the last thing you would miss is ice cream.
They are refreshing: there is nothing better for combating the scorching heat, along with anatomic protection against the fierce peak of the August sun.
They are low in calories: an average ice lolly provides around 70 calories, and even as low as 60 if we opt for lemon or orange. A classic ice cream cone has more, about 230 calories, but in return we get an excellent combination of protein and sugar, fat and water, which are energising and make us feel full. Cocoa, on the other hand is rich in theobromine, caffeine and magnesium and helps to counteract the effects of muggy summer air. Ice cream is better than a heavy meal or any other foods, which put swimmers at risk of congestion.
Even the IGI, the Italian Ice Cream Institute (Istituto del Gelato Italiano) suggests replacing a meal on the beach with an ice cream “whether in the form of a cone, waffle or sandwich: a food that contains many important nutrients such as complex carbohydrates, protein and fat.” According to their research, the types of ice cream most widely consumed at beach locations are “the most practical and nutrient types, such as ice creams on a stick (whether or not they are coated in chocolate), ice creams with waffles, ice cream sandwiches, and various ice creams served in a tub. Sorbets, ice lollies and coated ice creams are also popular.”
And for those with a number of summers behind them, our LAIeF-pedia takes us back to the delights of the 70s/80s that our parents often used as blackmail to get us out of the water looking like wrinkled prunes. Anyone who grew up in Italy might remember the legendary pop-up ice cream Paiper by Algida (Wall’s in the UK), the ‘ice cream of the new world’ that came in a plastic cylinder and was advertised by a very young Patty Pravo. And let’s not forget the Razzo (or ‘Rocket’) by Motta, which came in a rigid missile-shaped plastic cone with elastic, so that after finishing their ice cream, kids could invent their very own mission into space. Also from Motta was the Mottarello that was nourishing and refreshing, and the Italian ‘Coppa dei Campioni’, a tub of ice cream with half cream and half chocolate flavour.. And how about the ice lollies with a heart of cream Fiordifragola and Lemarancio by Eldorado? Eldorado also came up with the first Twister ice creams on a stick, and the fabulous Calippo, also in the Fizz version…
That was truly a great dip into the past… And with this heat, a dip is exactly what we need! For LAIeF, designers and creators of machinery for the industrial production of ice cream on a stick at LAIeF, this has been our world since 1980, a world we want to share with our customers and consumers alike.
So let’s dive in! Better still before a nice ice cream, of any type, as long as it’s ice cream.
Our LAIeF-pedia is going to take a well-deserved ice cream too. And remember, for any information, curiosity, or piece of advice, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Wishing everyone a nice dip!
