Soviet politician Anastas Mikoyan spearheaded a boom in ice cream production after encountering the product during a US goodwill trip in the 1930s.
Mikoyan enacted strict controls that forced producers to adhere to state standards around ingredients and production methods.
There were three main varieties of Soviet ice cream: molochnoye, made with milk; slivochnoye, made with cream; and plombir, which is made with cream and egg yolks.
Some Russian manufacturers still make ice cream to those specifications, with Golden Standard among them.
Mikoyan was said to have been accused by Stalin of caring more about ice cream than Communism.
Can also be remarkably good. Basically, because they’ve done absolutely no innovation at all – hey, Soviets – and they’re still making, really, what is iced cream.
Didn’t do him any harm. The old boy lived until the late 1970s. I think he was retired by Brezhnev but never properly purged.
Prague, shortly after the Wall came down: redcurrant water ice sold from an anonymous kiosk. (We had queued just to see what everyone was queuing for.) Fantastic.
We queued for ice cream in Cuba in the line with the locals. Then got pulled out to go to the shop for foreigners. We got lots of choice . Locals could have one of two flavours. Great Organic flowing architecture was shared.
It was ok. Never saw any cows in our drive across the country in our rental car so I have no idea where the milk/cream came from!
Andrew again: ’…so I have no idea where the milk/cream came from!’
I believe ‘The Simpsons’ may have suggested an alternative source!
Having had ice cream in the old Soviet Union I can confirm that it is indeed a highlight
@aa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro_and_dairy
A vanity project apparently fuelled by the big man’s love of ice cream.
Even had their own uddery version of Stakhanov.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubre_Blanca
@JuliaM
So did Blackadder, as part of the custard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vijpbRyfdSA
I had a lovely lavender flavoured ice cream in Bratislava. Not seen it anywhere else, but a Bulgarian Tod me they have it there too.
Don’t know whether that’s a communist-era vanilla shortage thing, or post-communist capitalist experimentation, but it was good.
Plenty of Google UK hits For “lavender ice cream”, though it does sound like something you’d be charged £50 for at the Fat Duck.