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Neapolitan ice cream originally looked very different from the chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry combination most people know today.

Its earliest versions were inspired by the colors of the Italian flag.

The three flavors were commonly pistachio, vanilla, and cherry, creating green, white, and red layers meant to reflect Italy’s national colors.

The dessert became associated with Naples, whose ice cream makers were famous for creating elaborate frozen desserts using multiple flavors arranged side by side.

As Neapolitan-style ice cream became popular in the United States, the flavors gradually changed.

Chocolate and strawberry were more familiar to American consumers, easier to produce on a large scale, and more widely available than pistachio and cherry. Over time, the modern combination of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry became the standard.

The name stayed the same, even though the flavors changed.

So the original Neapolitan ice cream wasn’t just a mix of three random flavors.

It was an edible tribute to Italy.