Neapolitan ice cream
Neapolitan ice cream, also sometimes referred to as Harlequin ice cream, is an ice cream composed of three flavors arranged side by side. Although Neapolitan is associated with Naples in Italy, it was first recorded in Prussia in 1839.
History
Neapolitan ice cream was the first ice cream recipe to combine three flavors. As of 2020, the origins of the recipe are unclear.In 1839, head chef of the royal Prussian household Louis Ferdinand Jungius published a layered fruit-flavored ice cream recipe named after the Bad Muskau nobleman Hermann, [Fürst von Pückler-Muskau|Fürst Pückler], suggesting strawberries, raspberries, Reine Claude greengages, red and black cherries, and apricots, adding that with liqueurs and maraschino it could be incorporated with caramel, rose liqueur and coffee layers In 1862, he suggested apricots, quinces, raspberries and strawberries. In 1903, an illustration shows three layers colored top to bottom white, red and brown, as well as the Kaffee König original recipe in Bad Muskau with respectively coco with maraschino, strawberries and chocolate flavors, all also containing macaroon pieces with maraschino, in 1920.
The English-language name of Neapolitan arose in the late 19th century due to confusion about its origin given Italy's reputation for ice cream or because its colors—originally green, white and red —matched those of the Italian flag. Early recipes featured a variety of flavors, but the combination of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry became the standard, likely because these were the most popular flavors in the United States at the time of its introduction.