The Asian culture also has a place in history for the first frozen desserts. At the end of the thirteenth century, Marco Polo returned from the Far East with recipes of concoctions made from snow, juice and fruit pulp. Frozen desserts are believed to have been brought to France in 1533 by Catherine de Medici when she left Italy to marry the Duke of Orleans, who later became Henry 2nd. By the end of the 17th century, sorbet hit the streets of Paris and spread to England and the rest of Europe where they were enjoyed by commoners and courtiers alike. The French are responsible for the culinary tradition of using sorbet as palate cleaners.
Sorbet can mark the end of a meal as something special with just the right hint of culinary glamour.
Once again, smoothies are whipping up popularity. The recurrence of the smoothie, a mellow drink with fruit flavors whipped up in a blender, is definitely in good taste. The velvety texture and crisp, fruit taste has always been a winner, though at times, smoothies have waned in popularity. New popularity for the venerable smoothie was saluted in the July 7 issue of Newsweek and by other media. It's being propelled commercially by entrepreneurs who envision smoothie shops on every corner and a smoothie blender in every kitchen.