by Trevis Rothwell, updated in October 2011
Tutti frutti ice cream was created by Roy Motherhead, who ran an ice cream business in Okolona, Kentucky until the late 1950's. While "tutti frutti" is Italian for "all fruit", the ice cream's name was derived from its inventor's daughter, who had the nickname "Toodie".
Tutti frutti mostly disappeared by the early 1980's, possibly in connection with the red food dye scare, or possibly due to the changing tastes of the ice cream consuming public.
My own introduction to tutti frutti ice cream came in 1989, when my family and I saw a rerun of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" in which Ozzie desperately searches for tutti frutti. By the end of the episode, I too desperately wanted tutti frutti ice cream, even though I had never tasted it. While Ozzie managed to track some down within twelve hours or so, I have not managed to come across any in person for twelve years.
A local ice cream manufacturer offered to make us some tutti frutti ice cream, but they would have to make it custom just for us, and we would need to buy five gallons of it. We declined, thinking that five gallons would be way too much, and we'd surely come across tutti frutti in smaller quantities if we kept looking.
Nine years later, I discovered that tutti frutti seemed to be a popular flavor in India, so I started looking for the ice cream in Indian restaurants and grocery stores. One Indian grocer said that they used to carry it, but it hadn't been selling well, so, as of this year, they no longer carried the flavor. However, they would be happy to special-order it for us, if we bought five gallons of it. This time we said yes.
It turned out that this ice cream was in fact labeled as "tooty fruity", a mispelling which makes me wonder if it was authentic. Perhaps it was, but I continue my quest until I find and consume product that seems more reliably authentic. For what it's worth, the "tooty fruity" had a rather non-descript-flavored ice cream base, with bits of candied fruit. It seemed that most of the overall flavor came from the bits of fruit rather than the ice cream itself, and tasted not unlike a combination of orange "Dreamsicle" ice cream bars and dried Turkish apricots.
Internet searches have shown that, for people in the United States, the best option for finding tutti frutti may be to look in Massachusetts. Gary, of Gary's Ice Cream in Chelmsford, states that a flavor called "frozen pudding" (which is supposedly not uncommon in Massachusetts) is the same as tutti frutti, only without nuts. (Tutti frutti includes nuts, usually walnuts, Gary says.) Gary's web page describes frozen pudding as "raisins, pineapples, maraschino cherries, apples, and peaches soaked in Meyers dark rum".
During a trip to Boston in the fall of 2008, I continued my search. Toscanini's didn't have it. Brigham's website claims they make frozen pudding from September through December, but when I stopped in at the Brigham's parlor near the Free Software Foundation in Boston, the rather grim clerk at the counter said, "It's seasonal; we don't have any." This was October.
I asked a native Boston tour guide about it. He said that some guy in his neighborhood makes it, but just closed up shop for the winter. I spent $40 in taxi fare going to grocery stores in search of it. Nothing. I tried several other ice cream parlors; only one person laughed at me. I did end up getting some tasty butter pecan ice cream at a shop in Harvard Square, but it just wasn't what I was after.
(Just a few months after my visit to Massachusetts, Boston Food & Whine published a review of Brigham's frozen pudding! And the reviewer didn't even want to taste it! I think I need to take a winter sabbatical in Boston...)
The rather authoritative-looking textbook Ice Cream offers the following recipe:
Tutti-frutti. To 9 gal plain [ice cream] mix add 4-8 qt of a mixture of several fruits of a suitable mixture for tutti-frutti. A desireable mixture consists of the following fruits chopped into small pieces: 2 qt red cherries, 2 qt green pineapple, 2 lb raisins, 2 qt crushed pineapple, 2 lb nuts. Color light pink with red coloring.In the Ozzie & Harriet episode, tutti frutti was described in song as containing peaches, pineapples, and cherries. This recipe has no mention of peaches, and does include rasins. However, we should consider the possibility that the words of the song were written to be more lyrical than academic, and that it is not in fact an actual recipe.
In any event, the above recipe suggests that the flavor would come predominantly from the bits of fruit rather than the ice cream base, and it seems overall in line with what we learned from Gary.
A web search for tutti frutti ice cream can turn up lots more recipes, the contents of which can vary wildly. Are any one of these recipes more authentic than the one listed above? I have no idea. It would be awesome to find a recipe for tutti frutti that was actually published circa the 1950's...
One reader wrote in to inform me that the fruit-flavored layer of Edy's Spumoni ice cream is in fact tutti frutti. If anyone else out there can confirm this, I would be delighted to hear from you. Thanks!
As I've told you before, this place claims to have the original Tutti Frutti ice cream: www.leopoldsicecream.comIt's about time someone put it on your web page so all those pursuing the ice cream have a link to the self-proclaimed original. Posted by Lori Neirynck
Tutti Fruiti has got to me one of the best flavors out there. The biggest problem I have come up with is telling the specialty ice cream shop exactly what it tastes like. I haven't tasted it since 1983,I would remember it if I had some but try telling one of the young kids in the ice cream shop about it! Thanks so much for the link above...I will definetly contact them at once. Thank you!Posted by Firefly Lover
We used to be able to get tutti frutti ice cream at Dipper Dan's, when I was a kid (about 30+ years ago). As best as I can recall, it was basically vanilla ice cream with bits of candied fruit in it (not unlike the candied fruit used in most fruit cakes). That seems to be confirmed by most of the searches I've done. Have you tried making your own? There are lots of recipes on the net. But you could probably just go simple by making vanilla and tossing some chopped bits of the glace fruit and nuts in while it churns.Posted by Dougal Campbell
I can relate to the person that wanted Tutti Fruiti Ice Cream after watching the Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet. After watching the Rob Zombie move, "The Devil's Rejects", I've been wanting to try some Tutti Frutti. I've never heard of it before so I starting asking around. Nobody can really tell me exactly what it is. That's when I decided to Google it and came across this site. Sounds like it's hard to find. Has anyone ever heard of "Blue Moon" Ice Cream? It's such a pretty blue & kids order it just for the color. I haven't seen it out here in the West. The last time I saw "Blue Moon" Ice Cream was in Michigan. I never tried it, but now wish that I have. I think it's supposed to taste fruity.Posted by Jen
I used to eat Tutti Frutti Ice Cream almost everyday growing up in England made by a company called Walls. Now here in NY it is impossible to find and I still crave it after all this time. If anyone has any information feel free to email me: ssaunders@psimultimedia.com or redgrant@optonline.netPosted by Steven
I'm at sideways8@att.net Last time I had Tutti Frutti was from Sedutto's Ice Cream located on Staten Island NYC and sold wherever Sedduto stands were in NYC about 25 years ago It was oustanding and original. Remamber Chico Marx selling it out of his pushcart, In one of the Marx Bros. early 30s movies. I have been looking for for years. Wish Sedutto's would make it again. They don't now. HELP!!!Posted by Vic Pfaus