It was invented in 1892 or 1893 by the French chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel, London, to honour the Australian soprano Nellie Melba.

[1][2] In 1892, operatic soprano Nellie Melba was performing in Wagner's opera Lohengrin at Covent Garden.

[1] The original dessert used simple ingredients of "tender and very ripe peaches, vanilla ice cream, and a purée of sugared raspberry".

[5] Variations are countless, but ice cream, flan, and fruit in syrup (peach or pineapple) are its staple ingredients.

[6][7] In tribute to Escoffier an elaborate deconstruction of the peach Melba was served as the last dish at El Bulli prior to its closure in 2012.