A forerunner of ice cream, as we know it today, can be traced back as far as 3000 B.C. to ancient China where crushed ice was flavored with fruit juices. It is believed that flavored ice was even produced in the Sahara desert in ancient Egypt during the first dynasty in 2890 B.C., by placing thin clay trays with water on straw beds, which would freeze overnight by evaporation and low night temperatures.

Source: Kitchen Stories