Ice cream is thousands of years old and reaches back to the Tang dynasty in China, where royalty it is believed first indulged themselves with this chilled dairy delight.
Early recipes combined milk from buffalo, cows or goats with flour and were scented with camphor, a refreshing essence from pine trees.
Here's a look at how ice cream is eaten in different places all over the world.
India's Kulfi ice cream is the 5th most popular ice cream worldwide according to global online food guide TasteAtlas' rankings and is also one of the top 100 desserts for 2026.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Anette B./Wikimedia Commons
Spaghettieis, Germany
At first glance, it looks like a plate of pasta.
Look closer, and you'll find a much-loved German frozen dessert: Silky vanilla ice cream shaped into thin ribbons, crowned with a glossy strawberry glaze, dusted with delicate curls of white chocolate.
Could be a plate of spaghetti with marinara sauce and a finishing of Parmesan, right?
Sorbetes, Philippines
Often called the country's original street ice cream, sorbetes is churned from rich buffalo milk, ice and eggs, then rolled out in flavours as unexpected as purple ube (yam) and even sharp cheddar.
Pashka, Russia
An intriguing ice cream from Russia, it uses cottage cheese, raisins, candied fruit pieces, vanilla, almonds and custard.
Paletas, Mexcio
The Mexican favourite bursts with fresh fruit juices and can be tangy and refreshing. Other versions are creamy, crafted from milk with flavours ranging from velvety chocolate and rich coffee to tropical coconut and the traditional chongos zamoranos (milk curds in a cinnamon syrup).
Kulfi, India
Major creamy and dense, Kulfi comes flavours that range from pistachio, mango, almonds, cardamom, saffron to newer stuff like strawberry, Oreo, chocolate, coffee. It is frozen in cone-shaped moulds and savoured straight from the stick or with sticky falooda noodles on top.
Kakigōri, Japan
A delicate mound of finely-shaved ice, drizzled with creamy condensed milk and bright, fruity syrups -- that's Kakigōri. It melts instantly on the tongue, offering a refreshing taste of Japanese tradition.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Solitude/Wikimedia Commons
7. Gelato, Italy
What can be more famous and tastier than the Italiano gelato?! So rich, so packed with cream, so yummy, this centuries-old treat has been delighting palates since the 1500s.
Hokey Pokey, New Zealand
A Kiwi classic, buttery vanilla is swirled with crunchy chunks of golden honeycomb toffee.
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