July 16, 2012, Updated August 5, 2015

Israel may not be traditionally thought of as an ice cream capital, but it’s time for a rethink.

After all, the average Israeli eats about 10 liters of ice cream per year, compared to 6.2 liters per capita in Italy, home of gelato.

But we’ve got our own takes on the frozen treat. Try, for instance, hummus ice cream, made with chickpeas and topped with olive oil and pine nuts. Or 10-spice ice cream, reminiscent of chai latte.

At Aldo Gelato in the Tel Aviv Port, cheesecake is the most popular flavor among 130 choices.

Itay Rogozinsky, chef and co-owner of Vaniglia in Tel Aviv, says it’s important to produce ice cream that matches the area and the people. “I like to work with many ingredients from all over the world, but still to build and to invent the Israeli style, because we are here.”