The History of Smoothies
It’s kind of funny how the invention of one thing results in the invention of something else. For hundreds of years Mediterranean and Eastern cultures have served pureed fruit drinks that resemble what we call smoothies. It wasn’t until the invention of the blender and home refrigerators in the 1900’s that thousands of Americans began experiencing the joy of blended juices the rest of the world and adventurous travelers had known for some time. Refrigeration became available for the home in 1915, even though commercial restaurants had refrigeration for a decade before that. The leakage of certain gases (like ammonia) used in commercial appliances made refrigerators generally unsafe for home use. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that refrigerators became safe, gained in popularity and dropped in price. The timing couldn’t have been better. As Americans were discovering the joy of frozen food, fruit and fresh milk in their kitchen, S...