There’s nothing like ice cream on a hot day. The simple dessert these days has excelled to become a meal unto itself. Some Greek ice cream vendors – like pagoseto.gr from Thessaloniki – have taken the simple cone one step further and have created Mediterranean flavors beyond imagination with everything from spicy garlic and cucumber-based tzatziki ice cream to Mageiritsa (intestine soup) that Greeks traditionally eat over Easter.

Here are some tantalizing ice cream tastes.

Octopus – where the appetizer meets the dessert!

Pagose to in Thessaloniki offers coffee-flavored frappe and bougatsa ice cream.

Tzatziki – garlic, yoghurt and cucumber.

Mageiritsa soup (lamb intestines) is something that most Greeks associate with summer.

An olive-based cornucopia of the good Greek earth!

Shrimps can be put on the barbecue, or in this case, on a cone!

Watermelon with cheese – the epitome of summer.

Bouyiourdi – Frozen baked feta – spicy and cool at the same time!

Tomato and basil goes well with rice… but not in this case.

Taouk Kioksou a traditional dish from Istanbul made of cream and chicken.

Soft cheese and lemon – for something light!

Beetroot ice cream anyone? Woul you like that with chocolate sauce or just topped with a lettuce?

Ice cream is believed to have been discovered in the 2nd century BC though its exact origins remain unknown. Alexander the Great is recorded to have enjoyed snow and ice flavored with honey and nectar while biblical references show that King Solomon was fond of ice drinks. Other Roman emperors, such as Nero Claudius Caesar sent off runner to fetch snow whereas Marco Polo brought back the coveted sherbet recipe from the Far East.