Throughout Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, there are so many sources to which the origin of gelato can be linked, thus to cover all of them would be impossible.

There is evidence, however, that earlier gelatos were made in northern and southern areas of Italy, and the ingredients of gelato vary from region to region. Gelato was considered to be a rich man's dessert and not many people could afford it. Snow was collected during the winter months and stored in basements of up to 30 meters deep. It is said that the Sicilians have been making these iced treats for centuries, using harvested snow from Mount Aetna!

Traditional Sicilian gelato is made without cream or egg yolks and thus was lower in fat, being mostly water-based, slightly higher in sugar content and was called sorbetto. In northern Italy, gelato was made using milk, cream, sugar, eggs, and other natural flavors. Throughout the decades Italians dominated the business of milk-based gelato in the northern regions of Italy and neighboring countries.

During the early 16th century, an Italian architect named Bernardo Buontalenti discovered a way of freezing a mixture of churned, sweetened milk and egg yolks, and thus was born the art of making gelato.

Today, gelato is appreciated throughout the world and still remains deeply rooted in Italy's rich culinary tradition.