July is National Ice Cream month, and we know that you’re shoving it down your throats because (surprise) we’re number one in ice cream consumption is the entire world! At 26 liters of ice cream per person, we’re far in front of New Zealand (23/person), Australia (18), Denmark (9) and Belgium (6). While you may think that vanilla, strawberry and chocolate are the most popular flavors, you may want to take a look at what these ice cream geniuses are cooking up in the kitchen! We’re bringing you the most delicious and unique ice cream flavors from around the world (but you may need to buy 2 seats on the plane to get there if you don’t stop eating). Lick away!
1. Olive Oil – Tuscany, Italy
[photo: Tumblr]
Gelato is a custom in Italy and rightfully so. It’s creamy, delicious and comes in a variety of flavors. However, Italy is also known for it’s superb olive oil, wine, grapes and pasta. Genius Ignazio Morviducci opened Gelateria Toscana in Pienza with the mission of displaying the true flavors of the area. The milk and olive oil are all home grown on local farms. Apparently, his olive oil flavor is creamy with a little bite at the end–fantastico!
2. Frankincense – Salalah, Oman
[photo: Global Table Adventure]
Traditionally, frankincense is used in incense and perfumes after being harvested from tree resins. The way the ice cream came to be, however, is quite the story. Trvgve Harris, an American entrepreneur moved to Dhofar to source perfumes for her company back in NYC. One day, she infused some of her frankincense oil into her favorite full cream milk. The oil has a plethora of flavors including spicy orange, pine and mint.
3. Tiger Beer – Singapore
[photo: Fox News]
Beer and ice cream?! At the same time? Good lord, somebody pinch me I must be dreaming. Stanley Kwok of Island Creamery tried 12 times to master the flavor, temperature and consistency of the Tiger Beer Ice cream. The name comes from the draft it comes from. The flavors of the beer are retained in the creamy treat, along with citrus and beer hops.
4. Jalapeno – Mexico
[photo: Always Order Dessert]
For the more adventurous ice cream lovers, I encourage to try this popular Mexican treat. It’s has an “unusually tangy” flavor according to Tabasco, and has been nicknamed “cold sweat”. Caliente!
5. Sweet Potato – Japan
[photo: Pink Parsley]
This isn’t the first sweet potato dessert we’ve reviewed, but this is a mainstay in Japan. It’s gaining popularity in the USA, especially around the holidays.
