Gelato is a frozen treat that hails from Italy; the word “gelato” means “ice cream” in Italian. Like many of Italy’s lovely specialties, gelato can now be enjoyed in America. Gelaterias, stores or carts that sell gelato, often display rows of mounded colorful gelato flavors, each one garnished with a topping that corresponds to the flavor. Gelato is richer and denser than American ice cream. Some people describe gelato as more as more elastic. Ice cream is milkier and creamier than gelato.
Gelato is thought to have been invented in 1565 by Bernado Buontalienti in Florence. The inventor apparently showed his recipe to Catherine de’ Medici, an Italian noblewoman turned French queen. She spread this edible treasure all over France. The first gelato cart was created between the 1920s and 1930s in Varese, a city in Northern Italy. Despite being around for centuries before, this is when the dessert really started to gain popularity.
The place where Gelato is sold is called gelaterias. The person selling and filling the gelato cups is called a gelatai. Gelato is stored at a warmer temperature than ice cream. While ice cream is chilled between zero and five degrees. Fahrenheit, gelato is kept between 10 and 15 degrees. Another important difference between ice cream and gelato? The serving tools. While ice cream is served with a rounded scoop, gelato shops generally use paddles. This technique adds to the traditional charm of this desert.
It was during the Italian Renaissance when the great tradition of Italian gelato began. The famed Medici family in Florence sponsored a contest, searching for the greatest frozen dessert. The typical ingredients of gelato are fruit, sugar, and milk, and tends to have less fat and more flavor than regular ice creams. This is due to a lessened amount of milk fat, which can be as much as 14% less, alongside the lack of egg yolks. One of the best features of gelato is its creamy, smooth consistency, which is due to the lower air content, which can be up to 50% less, meaning that the frozen delight melts faster giving you a richer taste.
There’s an international Gelato World Cup named Coppa deel Mondo della Gelateria, where people travel from countries such as Japan, Morocco, Spain, and Poland to compete for the best gelato dishes, sculptures, and sundaes!
But it was Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, a famous restaurateur, who made gelato famous all over Europe. Procopio moved from Palermo to Parisand opened a café that soon became the hub for every novelty, from exotic coffee, to chocolate, to a refined gelato served in small glasses that resembled egg cups.
Finally, gelato is a product with strong consumer demand. In both Europe and the United States, gelato consumption has been growing steadily in recent years. The global gelato industry is currently worth billions of dollars. The United States and Europe are the two largest markets for gelato, accounting for about more than half of the world’s gelato consumption.
Italy is the largest producer of gelato, followed by the United States and France. Other major gelato-producing countries include Spain, Germany, and Argentina. The global gelato industry is expected to continue to grow in the coming years. The rising popularity of health consciousness and veganism is benefiting the industry. As many look for healthier alternatives, it has become an increasingly popular choice.
Article by Nandita kinalkar | Edited by Saumya Sharma
