It is uncertain how long ice cream has been produced, but it probably originates from China. From very old writings it has been learned that the Chinese liked a frozen product made by mixing fruit juices with snow, what we now call water ice. This technique later spread to ancient Greece and Rome, where the wealthy, in particular, were partial to frozen desserts.

After disappearing for several centuries, ice creams in various forms reappeared in Italy in the Middle Ages, most probably as a result of Marco Polo returning to Italy in 1295 after a 16–17 year stay in China, where he had learned to appreciate a frozen dessert based on milk. From Italy ice cream spread over Europe during the seventeenth century, and long remained a luxury product for the royal courts.

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