Tutti frutti (from Italian ''tutti i frutti'', "all fruits"; also hyphenated tutti-frutti) is a colorful

confectionery Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...

containing various chopped and usually candied fruits, or an artificial or natural flavouring simulating the combined flavour of many different fruits and vanilla, specially the pollica variant. It is most notable in Western countries outside of Italy in the form of ice cream. Fruits used for tutti frutti ice cream include

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

, watermelon, raisins, and pineapple, often augmented with

nuts Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...

. In the Netherlands, tutti-frutti (also "tutti frutti", "tuttifrutti") is a compote of dried fruits, served as a

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...

or a side dish to a meat course. In Belgium, tutti-frutti is often seen as a

. Typically, it contains a combination of raisins, currants,

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

s, prunes, dates, and figs. In the United States, tutti frutti can also refer to fruits soaked in

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

or other spirits, or even to fruit fermented in a liquid containing

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

and yeast. In Luxembourg, tutti fruitty refers to fruit salad, mainly pre-packaged, canned fruit salad from the supermarket.

History

Tutti frutti ice cream has been served for at least 160 years, as it appeared on the bill of fare for an 1860 dinner in England. Recipes for tutti frutti ice cream were found in cookbooks of the late 19th century. A tutti frutti ice cream recipe was included in the 1874 cookbook ''Common Sense in the Household: A Manual of Practical Housewifery'' This recipe calls for actual tutti frutti and is not fancifully named. In the 1883 cookbook ''The Chicago Herald Cooking School'' there is also a tutti frutti ice cream recipe. In 1888, one of the first

gum Gum may refer to: Types of gum * Adhesive * Bubble gum * Chewing gum * Gum (botany), sap or other resinous material associated with certain species of the plant kingdom ** Gum arabic, made from the sap of ''Acacia senegal'', an Old World tree s ...

flavors to be sold in a vending machine, created by the Adams New York Gum Company, was tutti frutti. Many restaurant menus circa 1900 in the collection of the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

also list this variety of ice cream. At least one early-20th-century American cookbook contains a suggestion that tutti frutti ice cream was popular in the United States. ''The Italian Cookbook'' contains a recipe for Tutti Frutti Ice and says, "This is not the tutti frutti ice cream as is known in America". A 1928 cookbook, ''Seven Hundred Sandwiches'' by

Florence A. Cowles Florence Abigail Cowles (April 7, 1878 - August 22, 1958) was an American journalist and cookbook author. She worked on the editorial staff of Cleveland's daily newspaper, ''The Plain Dealer'', from 1917 until her retirement in 1944. Her 1928 publi ...

(published in Boston), includes a recipe for a "Tutti Frutti Sandwich" with a spread made of whipped cream, dates, raisins, figs, walnuts, and sugar.

References

{{Ice cream Ice cream Frozen desserts Fruit dishes Flavors of ice cream Italian words and phrases