Did Marco Polo eat ice cream in China?

Where did ice cream originate? Most people suggest Morocco or Italy, but French ice-cream master Gerard Taurin says the root of this popular dessert is in ancient China, where a frozen mixture of rice and milk, made about 3,000 years ago, was documented in an ancient book he read in 2008.

Born in Normandy in 1963, Taurin has won many honors, such as the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (Best Craftsman of France) in 2000, which is one of the highest awards for a chef in a specialized area, and the World Champion of Ice Cream and Ice Sculpting in 2003.

Last week, during the opening ceremony of Beijing's Galeries Lafayette, Taurin showcased his ice-carving skills when he created a 2-meter-high Eiffel Tower ice sculpture with his wife, and then made artistic ice cream of different flavors, including one with coconut-ginger flavor and another with wolfberries and jasmine.