National Spumoni Day

National Spumoni Day, celebrated annually on August 21st, is a popular celebration for ice cream connoisseurs with layers of different flavors. In traditional spumoni, there are always 3 of them. The name of the ice cream comes from the Italian word for “foam” – spuma.

History

Culinary historians claim that the dessert was invented by the inhabitants of Naples around the 19th century. A 1979 article in the Chicago Tribune reported that the “authentic” recipe was brought to America from Nola, Italy. Then the dessert was called “Neapolitan”.

Lezza, an Italian immigrant, arrived in Chicago in 1905, Salvatore and his wife Lucia. They opened a candy store that served a cold, three-layer dessert. The original recipe included almond ice cream, semi-sweet chocolate layer and stracciatella (ice cream with irregularly shaped chocolate pieces).

In 1939, spumoni became popular in Brooklyn thanks to the Italian Ludovico Barbati, who opened L&B Spumoni Gardens. Before opening his own establishment, Barbati sold spumoni from a horse-drawn wagon. L&B’s, unlike the traditional version, are served in glasses filled with ice.

Interesting facts

At National Spumoni Day, learn important things about this ice cream:

1. Spumoni is not customary to eat with spoons, it must be cut into slices – so all its multi-colored layers look more impressive.
2. This type of ice cream can be made in the form of a roll or a cake.
3. The most popular type of this dessert is in the colors of the Italian flag (green, white, red).
4. Spumoni is consistently popular in countries where there are large immigrant communities from Italy.
5. In the US, it is often eaten as a Christmas dessert with a variety of cookies.

How to celebrate

Go with your family or company to an ice cream parlor to eat spumoni. Or make your own: all it takes is 3 ice creams, plus whipped cream, cherries and almonds to layer between layers. You can come up with your own original recipe. Use the hashtag #NationalSpumoniDay in your social networks, share with your friends a photo and an exclusive recipe for spumoni!

When is National Spumoni Day celebrated in 2022?

National Spumoni Day is observed on August 21 each year.

Observations