I LOVE GELATO
Walking through the streets of a busy city like Florence, on a hot summer afternoon, you might feel like it's the perfect time for a snack. What could be better than a nice cold gelato?
The afternoon snack known as merenda is a long standing Italian tradition practiced by people of all ages: students just out of school, workers on a break, grandma on her afternoon walk. Gelato is definitely the go-to snack during a merenda.
WHEN WAS GELATO INVENTED?
Contrary to what you might expect, gelato actually predates refrigeration and has a long history. Back in the Middle Ages, in Sicily, the Moors had brought with them a habit of mixing fruits and fruit juice with ice, creating a sorbe or sorbetto. However, the first recorded recipe for gelato comes from Florence, where Bernardo Buontalenti prepared a soft and spongy cream, using milk, egg yolks, sweet wine, lemons, orange and honey for a feast in honor of Charles V, the King of Spain.
HOW IS GELATO MADE TODAY?
The base for gelato is a custard mainly made of eggs and whole milk and a little bit of sugar.The mixture is gently heated and whisked to bring out the flavors and make it creamy. The mixture is then enriched with milk powder to give it a sturdier texture. The eggs should give the custard a vibrant yellowish color. The custard is the base for an endless variety of flavors, which can now be added. After the desired flavor is added, the mixture is then put into a machine that will simultaneously mix it and cool it, until that signature gelato texture is achieved.
Gelato, can be served in a cono (cone) or in a coppetta (cup), and as long as you don't get the smallest size you can generally get more than one flavor at once.
ITALIAN GELATO: MAIN FLAVORS
The most common gelato italiano is, of course, gelato al cioccolato or chocolate, but here are some flavors we recommend you try!
Crema - delicate, simple and sweet.
Pistacchio - a must try in southern Italy, even more so in Sicily where pistacchio di Bronte grows.
Stracciatella - a classic flavor made of cream and chocolate chip.
Buontalenti - It is a variation of crema with hints of honey, a signature gelato in Florence, where this flavor was invented to honor the creator of gelato.
Fior di Latte - a very creamy, smooth and milky flavor.
Some more artisanal gelato shops can also offer traditional but lesser known flavors such as rose, lilac, lavender, rosemary, rice and salted caramel.
