Buon anno a tutti! (Happy New Year to all!)
A fresh, new year has arrived along with the climactic freshness of January, the coldest month of the year in Italy. Seeing as cold is on our minds, let’s talk about something frosty, fun, and delicious: Gelato.
The sparkle and warmth of the holidays have just passed, with the Christmas season officially coming to a close in Italy on Epiphany (January 6). Cold weather has settled upon the peninsula, in addition to the cold reality of returning to work and school. Even the islands of Sardegna and Sicily with their temperate climates are in winter mode. Granted, temperatures in central and southern Italy are mild compared to many places in the northern hemisphere at this time of year but we’ll roll with the idea of “cold” as our introductory subject because it ties in with this week’s topic, that frozen treat so dear to all Italians: gelato.
What Is Gelato?
“Gelato” literally means “transformed into ice”. For all intents and purposes of visitors to Italy, gelato is Italian ice cream. But there are differences between gelato and ice cream, and we’ll get into that in just a bit.
As far as similarities go, gelato is a frozen dairy dessert, just like ice cream. One of the coolest things (yes, pun intended) about gelato is the multitude of flavours, many of them being quite exotic or unique when compared to flavours found in North America and other ice-cream-eating nations. The list of unusual tastes is pretty vast and changes with the season, including things such as persimmon, chestnut, grapefruit, saffron, rosemary, basil, lavender, violet, pine nut, gorgonzola (blue) cheese and pear, ricotta cheese and fig, and Prosecco, to name just a few.
Pistacchio (pronounced “pee-STACK-yo” in Italian) is a national favourite, as is nocciola (“no-CHO-lah”, which is hazelnut), up there with chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. Cocco (coconut) is very popular and also very luscious. Amarena — vanilla with ribbons of sour cherry — is another classic flavour you can find pretty much everywhere.
In Italy, flavours are called gusti (pronounced “GOO-stee”), and even a small cone or cup comes with due gusti — two flavours. This is a brilliant and sensible gelato custom that ice cream parlours would do well to adopt. When something is so delicious, why should you have to choose just one? In fact, the size of a gelato typically doesn’t scale from “small” to “large” but in increments of gusti. For example, a gelato tre gusti would have three scoops of any flavour (or of the same flavour, if you wanted to OD on a particular favourite).
Gelato is one of those amazing everyday items that, along with coffee, pastries, and sparkling water, doesn’t cost much in Italy. A two-scoop gelato costs around 3 Euro (about $3.30 American).
Italians are crazy about gelato and it is an iconic part of the culinary culture, no matter where you go in the country. Although gelato is produced industrially and sold in grocery stores, artisan production is the norm; every city and village is dotted with gelaterie, and virtually every gelateria makes their own frozen masterpieces right on the premises using cherished recipes.
How Gelato Differs from Ice Cream
Gelato and ice cream share common ingredients, which are milk, sugar, and cream. The difference is in the proportions. Gelato has a higher milk-to-cream ratio than ice cream. If the gelato contains egg (most does not), it’s also proportionately less than what you find in ice cream.
In addition to a difference in the proportions of ingredients, gelato is churned more slowly than ice cream. Slower mixing means fewer entrapped air globules, resulting in a denser consistency.
When you eat gelato, you might notice that the flavours seem so much more intense than in ice cream. Your palate isn’t playing tricks on you; there is a physiological reason for this. Because ice cream has a higher content of cream and eggs, it has a higher fat content than gelato. Fat on our tongues impedes our taste buds. Coupled with the fact that ice cream is served colder than gelato, which also inhibits our palate, it’s easy to see why gelato packs an extra flavour-punch.
Gelato: A Passion for All Seasons
Perhaps it seems odd that we’re talking about gelato when it’s cold outside, but I suppose it’s this author’s way of letting visions of summertime dance in her head. Gelato is certainly at its refreshing best in hot weather and Italians do consume copious quantities of it in summer. Cold weather might diminish the consumption of this most beloved of frozen confections but there is a benefit to this: lines at the gelateria aren’t out the door. Winter is a great time to visit Italy if no-wait gelato-fixes are the stuff your holiday dreams are made of.
If you’re vegan or lactose-intolerant, you’ll be happy to know that most gelaterias also produce a variety of scrumptious sorbetti, made only with fruit puree, water, and sugar.
Whatever your preference, no trip to Italy would be complete without at least one stop at a gelateria. But after that first visit, you can pretty much count on there being a subsequent one, which may very quickly turn into a daily habit, possibly even a passion.
If the temptation of real Italian gelato is beckoning you, resist no longer! DriverInRome would be pleased to escort you around Italy with as many gelato breaks as your heart desires.
