Summer eating is characterised by lighter dishes, more salads and of course ice cream. Ice cream or frozen yoghurt, for the more health conscious among us, is not just for dessert on hot days. There is something about the cold sensation in the mouth, at times mind-freezingly cold, that soothes the soul when the temperature rises.

This article takes a look at some of the latest ice cream and frozen yoghurt trends, both in Hong Kong and overseas. I also talk to a few of the leading makers about what hot new flavours we can expect to be indulging in over the next few months.

International Trends

While frozen yoghurt sales have continued to increase, ice cream continues to dominate sales in the frozen dessert category. It seems that while we like to be healthy at times, when it comes to indulging people still prefer ice cream. Classic flavours are still the leading sellers in many countries. For example the top five selling flavours in the US are vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry and chocolate chip mint.

There is however a growing trend to come up with new and unusual flavours, that are often seasonal, for example gingerbread during the colder months. Manufacturers with a global presence are a key player in the development of flavour trends, yet the real cutting edge flavours are coming from chefs. In particular the use of savoury flavours, for example cheese, carrot, beetroot, olive oil, red wine, smoked honey, and even herbs, are finding their way onto the frozen dessert menu, with ice cream being the focus of the dessert not the bit player. Savoury ice creams are also moving beyond the dessert menu. For example a chef in the UK is serving a pepper-infused ice cream alongside goat's cheese and red wine. 

Yet the major manufacturers are slow to respond to the trend and for now are focusing on sweet flavours, with an increasing use of fruits.

Hong Kong

While the trend for savoury flavours among chefs exists in Hong Kong, for example Bo Innovation's infamous Chinese sausage ice cream, the flavours available in both restaurants and retail outlets are predominately sweet.  The only real exception to that is I Scream Gelato (www.iscream.com.hk), which develops a range of savoury flavours in conjunction with chefs, for example parmesan and olive oil, porcini, and foie gras. Sweet flavours are still the most popular though at its three retail outlets. Favourite flavours are the chocolate, passion fruit, mango, red bean, and white and black sesame seed.

Ben and Jerry's have no plans at the moment to introduce savoury flavours, but says they are open to suggestions from customers. The most popular flavours are Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Sweet Cream & Cookie.

New flavours that are expected to be big sellers over summer are Orange & Cream, and Chocolate Macadamia Nut. In addition to dedicated outlets and retailers Ben and Jerry's can be enjoyed at hotels and restaurants including the Langham Hotel, Grappa's, Inn Side Out, Belgos, HK Brew House, Fat Burger and Spiaggia.

Häagen-Dazs^® says that popular flavours in Hong Kong are vanilla, strawberry and mango. While the company also has no plans to introduce savoury flavours it does introduce country and cultural specific items. For example, its ice cream mooncake.  

The company introduces over eight new flavours each year, and recently launched summer flavours for the Hong Kong market are Summer Drinks series (a smoothie style drink consisting of flavoured ice cream blended with milk or fruit juice) and the Fruity Cool Fondue.

The fruity cool fondue includes fruit driven ice cream, pastry/cake inspired choices, and yoghurt ice cream mixes. Expected to be popular are the green tea and summer berry options and apricot, which features in apricot ice cream, apricot cream cheesecake, and apricot yoghurt that is mixed with lemon sorbet and apricot pieces.

Another hot new treat is the Cherries Whisper, a combination of cherry and cream ice cream with fresh cherries. More new flavours are being developed for a July release. 

The company's products are widely available at its own stores, retailers and more than 300 restaurants and hotels. 

Frozen yoghurt company, Berrygood, established just over a year ago has a growing loyal customer base who prefer the company's frozen yoghurt over ice cream, because of the health aspect and because the products are made fresh daily. "In addition to the health aspects that are shared by all dairy products our frozen yoghurt contains probiotics (live bacterial cultures, not all frozen yogurts contain probiotics) that are very good for the digestive system," explains managing director, Tracie Ang.

Berrygood's products are made using yoghurt from Italy and New Zealand, and because the company uses real yoghurt and not yoghurt powder the end result is creamier.

The company is also responding to the seasonal trend. "We are discovering new flavour combinations all the time. In the summer, tropical and fruity flavours tend to sell very well, such as green apple. In the winter, we foresee richer flavours such as chocolate or caramel to be more popular," says Ang.

The original yogurt is the company's most popular flavour, but blueberry, pomegranate, green apple and lychee also have many loyal fans. Berrygood has just introduced some new summer flavours including Cherry Tart, Pina Colada, Green Tea, and Guava. "Later on in the summer, we will also be bringing back our popular Milk Choco-lite flavour - a sugar-free, fat-free product that maintains a rich chocolate flavour." The products are available only from the Berrygood shop in Central, for more info http://www.berrygoodhk.com.

Brain Freeze

Food historians are uncertain as to the origins of ice cream. For example Julius Caesar and the Emperor Nero of Rome are both credited for the idea of mixing snow with juice, fruit and honey.  And, Marco Polo has been credit with bringing to Italy water ice recipes that he discovered during his trips to Asia, although this is disputed. The first ice cream, in the sense that we know it today, is thought to have been in Italy and then France in the 17th century.

The first ice cream parlour to open in the US was in 1776 in New York City and ice cream was first served in the White House at an inaugural ball in 1812.

Frozen yoghurt first came onto the market in the 1970's but did not become popular until the 1980's.

And, have ever wondered what causes an ice cream headache or brain freeze? It is caused by a sudden change in temperature as the ice cream touches the top of the mouth, causing a nerve reaction that swells blood vessels in your head. The nerve center (on the roof of the mouth) overreacts to the cold and tries to "heat" the brain. The pain is caused by the swelling blood vessels. Although this intense sensation lasts only 30-60 seconds the best way to avoid it is to eat the ice cream using the sides of the mouth, avoiding the roof of the mouth.

Another interesting titbit, apparently 50 licks are required to finish a single scoop ice cream cone. With so many new flavours available for summer now is a good time to see if this is true, let me know.

Image Credit: Ben and Jerry's: 2, 3; Haagen Dazs: 1, 4, 5; Berrygood: Homepage, 6, 7, 8