Ice consumption traditions vary in the United States, Europe, and Russia. What you need to know

The heat traditionally raises the demand not only for air conditioners, but also for simple food ice. Last year, thanks to TikTok, a Korean trend came to Russia for glasses that are already sold with ice and straws — you can add any drink you want to them. At the same time, there is no such culture of ice consumption in Russia, as, for example, in the United States — no party can do without frozen cubes. Izvestia investigated how the culture of ice consumption differs in the USA and Europe and whether ice is harmful in the heat.

How trends have influenced the success of ice in Russia

• In recent years, the demand for food ice has increased in Russia — it began to be sold in regular grocery stores during the coronavirus pandemic, when bars were forced to close. Prior to that, ice producers mainly worked with restaurants and hotels, and collaborated with catering services. Then the ice delivery service for private clients was developed.

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• Last year and this year, retailers noticed a significant increase in Russians' interest in ice. Industry representatives say that the increase in sales, in addition to the development of delivery services, was strongly influenced by the youth fashion for ice glasses. She came from South Korea in 2024, and a trend has started thanks to TikTok — users of the social network are filming how they buy cups and make themselves cocktails right in the store or on the street. This year, the popularity of this product in Russia is not decreasing.

• At the same time, if earlier food ice was mainly an integral part of alcoholic beverages, now frozen cubes are actively added to glasses with juice, soda or plain water. In general, according to one of the grocery delivery services, which operates in many Russian cities, sales of ice and frozen bases for cocktails and lemonades increased by 40% in one week in July. However, it is not yet possible to say that a culture of mass ice consumption has emerged in Russia — the volume of sales of edible ice in the country is noticeably lower than in the United States, where the "ice" market is flourishing.

Who came up with the idea of selling ice

• The history of ice as a commodity began in the United States in the nineteenth century. Frederick Tudor, a businessman from Boston, was the first to make money selling frozen water. He extracted ice from ponds, loaded it onto a ship and shipped it all over the world, including remote countries. Tudor, who first brought ice to countries where it does not form naturally, became a pioneer of the international ice trade and laid the foundation for the ice industry. However, despite the export, the entrepreneur still had a lot of goods — then he came up with the idea of distributing ice to American taverns. They started adding it to drinks, and the customers liked it — then the establishments began to buy ice from Tudor.

• At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, ice became a status commodity in the USA. At that time, the presence of an icebox at home (a precursor device to a conventional refrigerator) indicated a certain financial viability of the family. By the way, Americans now have the largest refrigerators in the world, and they are often equipped with an ice maker.

What is the attitude towards ice in Europe and the USA now?

• The opinions of Americans and Europeans about how cold drinks should be differ, there are many memes on this topic. According to historian Jonathan Rees, social media trends reflect the historically determined cultural differences between Europe and America. He added that ice is nowhere as popular in the world as it is in the United States. Americans actively add it to drinks regardless of the time of year. There are often ice machines in the corridors of American hotels, and grocery stores sell large bags of ice cubes. No party in the United States is complete without ice. At the same time, in Europe, it is believed that ice only spoils the taste of the drink.

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• Amy Brady, author of a book on the history of ice as a commodity, noted that Americans are obsessed with ice. She said that one day she found an essay and letters by the 19th-century English writer Charles Dickens, who, upon arrival in the United States, was shocked by the amount of ice added to drinks. Ice has never been so popular in Europe, neither then nor now.

• Indeed, when ordering a refreshing drink in cafes in Paris, London, Rome, Athens and other European cities, ice will not be visible in it. If a visitor asks for an additional cube, then most likely only one will be added to the drink. At the same time, it is quite possible that there will be no ice in the establishment at all.

Are ice-cold drinks harmful in the heat?

• Doctors say that it is necessary to drink in the heat, but drinks should not be very cold. Experts explain that when the air temperature is above 30 degrees, a person's immune system may weaken, and after drinking water with a lot of ice, the risk of getting sick, for example, sore throat, increases.

• Iced drinks, especially carbonated ones, irritate the mucous membranes of the mouth and esophagus and can cause serious problems in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, drinking too cold water can affect the cardiovascular system and cause migraines.

• In the heat, it is recommended to drink either hot tea, which increases sweating and thereby reduces body temperature, or cool unsweetened non-carbonated drinks. Experts also recommend making herbal infusions.

• Do not drink anything in one gulp — this method is also an unnecessary irritant to the receptor apparatus of the mucous membranes of the mouth and esophagus and can become a trigger for the development of inflammatory processes.

When writing the material, Izvestia interviewed:

Candidate of Medical Sciences, dietitian Rimma Moisenko