The History of Ice Cream You might think ice cream is a modern kind of food, but actually, ice cream was probably first eaten in China over 2000 years ago. It was made from a mixture of rice and milk, and was frozen using snow. In Europe around 2000 years ago, Roman leaders also enjoyed a type of frozen dessert. 1..................... It wasn't true ice cream, though, as it had no milk or cream in it. Italian explorer Marco Polo spent a lot of time in China during the late thirteenth century. People believe that he saw ice cream being made while he was on his travels there. 2......................... This was the first time true ice cream was made in Europe. Perhaps this is why Italians are considered the European masters of ice-cream making: they have had more time than other countries to practise the recipe! In the seventeenth century, King Charles I of England was introduced to the pleasures of ice cream by his new French chef. He was so amazed by its beautiful taste that he immediately offered the chef £500 a year (worth around £100000 in today's money!). This wasn't just for him to make Charles lots more ice cream. 3....................No one knows if he ever told anyone! Ice cream cones are a popular way to serve ice cream. They're a convenient way to hold ice cream while you eat it and there's no waste at all because you eat the container along with the ice cream. 4....................... It's believed they were invented in 1904 in the USA. Ice cream very quickly became even more popular in the middle of the twentieth century. At this time, the first electric freezers became available to the public. 5..................... They also allowed greater access to ice cream to those living in hot climates.