History of Smoothie

Health food stores of the West Coast of the United States began selling pureed fruit drinks in the 1930s based on recipes that originated in Brazil. The 1940s-era Waring "Blendor" cookbooks published recipes for a "banana smoothie" and a "pineapple smoothee."

The name "smoothee" or "smoothie" was used by books, magazines, and newspapers for a product made in blenders. Dan Titus, the director of The Juice and Smoothie Association states in his book, Smoothies, The Original Smoothie Book, that, "smoothies became popular in the middle 1960s, when there was a resurgence in the United States in macrobiotic vegetarianism."

The first trademark for a fruit slush was in the mid-1970s with the name "California Smoothie", which was marketed by the California Smoothie Company from Paramus, New Jersey. Smoothies from the 1960s and early 1970s were, "basically fruit, fruit juice, and ice cream"; in some cases in the early 1970s, ice milk was also blended in to create the "fruit shake".

These shakes were served at local health-food restaurants and at health-food stores, alongside tofu, fruits, carob, and other health-oriented foods. The copyright for the recipe of the banana and strawberry smoothie which included horseradish was issued April 3, 1972.


In the early 1970s the co-founder of Smoothie King, Stephen Kuhnau, began selling blended fruit drinks under the name "smoothie". However, Kuhnau admits that he, "...didn't invent the word smoothie"; instead, he states that the term dates back to the "fruit and fruit juice based drinks made by the Hippies" in the late 1960s. In the 1980s, the increasing popularity of sports and fitness led to the marketing of supplement-fortified health food products. During this time, the first, "specialized juice and smoothie bars" opened. By the 2000s, the "juice and smoothie industry [was] a multi-billion dollar industry."

Since the 1990s, many smoothie companies have been using frozen yogurt to give their smoothies a thick, creamy, milkshake-like texture.

Many types of fruit smoothies are found in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine (sharbat), typically using yogurt and honey as well as a range of fresh fruit. Smoothies can also be mixed with soda pop and/or alcohol to make a cocktail. Smoothies appeal to a wide range of age groups because of their sweetness, fresh fruit flavor, and nutritional value. Most are high in dietary fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.

Pre-bottled smoothies such as Odwalla, Naked Juice, and Bolthouse Farms are available in the fresh fruit and vegetable sections of supermarkets. They have a short shelf life and must be refrigerated to prevent fermentation of the fruit or any milk-derived content going off. Because of their high price tag (usually $3–4 per 12oz bottle in 2007), their target market is health food enthusiasts.

Many raw vegans drink "green smoothies" which contain green leaf vegetables such as spinach, kale and lettuce. Health magazines and the like also promote green smoothies as a healthy food.

Places like "Tropical Smoothie Cafe" and "Smoothie King" sell the smoothies and other refreshments, too.


Sources : wikipedia


Look also : burger king, sour sally