Inside scoop...

...on the 2,500-year history of ice cream

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We all scream for ice cream, especially as temperatures soar in the summer. Ancient civilisations had the same desire for a cold, sweet treat to cope with heat waves. There are plenty of contenders claiming credit for the first frozen desserts, from Italy and France in the 17th century to China in the first century.

But before you can make ice cream, you need a reliable source of ice. The technology for making and storing ice was originally developed in Persia (modern-day Iran) in 550 BCE. These ancient Persians built large stone beehive-shaped structures called yakhchal (ice pit). They were constructed in the desert, with deep, insulated subterranean storage, allowing ice to be stored year-round.

High domes pulled hot air up and out, and wind catchers funnelled cooler air into the base. The yakhchal was not just an ancient ice house; it was also an ice maker.

Canals filled shallow ponds, shaded from the sun, with fresh water during the winter. Overnight temperatures dropped, and in the dry desert air, the water would cool through evaporation.

Some yakhchals have survived centuries of desert erosion and are found across Iran, in areas where it is cold enough to produce ice in winter or near mountains where ice could be harvested.

A study of one 400-year-old yakhchal, still standing in Meybod, estimated its annual production at 50 cubic metres, about 3 million ice cubes.

Early frozen desserts