what country invented ice cream

The origins of ice cream are not definitively known, but there are several theories. The first references to ice houses and eating snow come from 11th century BCE China, and around 200 BCE, there is a reference to people in China eating a combination of milk and rice that was frozen in the snow. By the 11th century CE, Persians were making something called sharbat, which is probably the closest ancestor to ice cream, and where the word "sherbet" comes from. The icy treat came to Europe through Moorish influence after the Crusades. In Europe and early America, ice cream was made and sold by small businesses, mostly confectioners and caterers. Jacob Fussell of Baltimore, Maryland was the first to manufacture ice cream on a large scale. He built his first ice cream factory in Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania, in 1851. However, the introduction of the ice cream machine in 1843 in both England and America simplified ice cream manufacture and made it more widely available. Therefore, while the exact country that invented ice cream is not known, it is believed to have originated in China and Persia, and it was introduced to Europe through Moorish influence after the Crusades.