gelato
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Gelato [jeh-LAH-toh] - Italian for "ice cream." Gelati is plural, as in many flavors.
An Italian ice cream parlor is called a gelateria.
In the U.S. we have "ice cream." "Gelato" is Italian for "ice cream" but they are not the same thing, a common misconception. It is generally richer tasting , creamier and has a denser texture. This is achieved by using less fat, therefore it doesn't contain as much air as its American counterpart. American ice cream has around 18% fat. Gelato has 4 - 7%, depending on flavors. Some fruit flavors have even less, some sorbets are even dairy free.
But don't let the lack of fat fool you - the dense texture yields dense flavor. In '96 I was in Italy when my traveling companion said "I didn't understand how ice cream could BE any better. Now I know!"
Like many things, the Italians claim invention of Gelato for something that may have actually come from China. If you're interested in historical detail there's a short article on the origins of gelato at http://www.aromiditalia.com/gelato/history.html
But who came up with the idea is a moot point for those of us living without the aid of time travel. The only thing that matters is who does it best NOW.
Vivoli in Florence is the best gelateria on the earth.
Oh, you can argue that San Gimignano is packed with delicious gelato, and I'd agree. I sampled several galati there and was impressed. I searched Italy for 9 weeks in '96, and another 2 weeks in '99, hunting for the best gelato. I've traveled across the U.S. sampling various efforts, but even the average tourist-strip gelateria in Italy surpasses most U.S. efforts. So it's safe to assume the folks that have produced the most for the longest, the Italians, probably have gotten it right. And of the Italian gelaterias that I've sampled the best has always been Vivoli in Florence.
My first trip to Italy was on a study abroad program. One of the instructors had been on the trip several times and he recommended Vivoli, specifically the riso gelato, rice flavored. No, I didn't think it sounded good either but eventually I found the gelateria, located on a small side street unappealingly named Stinche (pronounced "stinky" in Italiano) and sampled riso and it took the top spot in my gelato favorites. It's like a sweet rice putting, with bits of cooked rice slightly frozen. It's fantastic. Crema Limone, lemon crème, is also fantastic, and banana is another personal fave.
Rick Steves, of PBS and guidebook fame, has an excellent method for finding better gelato. If the banana in the gelateria is white it's made with artificial flavoring or syrup - don't bother. If it's slightly brown it's made with real bananas - go for it.
Another difference between gelaterias and the corner ice cream stand is the number of flavors - many gelaterias have vast arrays of flavors. Even better, it's customary to get several flavors in a single serving - mix and match what you like. Banana and coffee work well together, almost making a tiramisu flavor, for example. What's The Scoop, here in Atlanta, makes a fantastic plum that worked great when side by side with chocolate.
If you can't get to Italy and don't have a decent gelateria shop in your town it's easy to make your own.
Gelato! : Italian Ice Cream, Sorbetti & Granite, by Pamela Sheldon Johns, has page after page of recipes so you can make your own gelato:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580081975/earplugsforatlan
And there are several recipes online - go to http://www.about.com and search for "gelato."
An Italian ice cream parlor is called a gelateria.
In the U.S. we have "ice cream." "Gelato" is Italian for "ice cream" but they are not the same thing, a common misconception. It is generally richer tasting , creamier and has a denser texture. This is achieved by using less fat, therefore it doesn't contain as much air as its American counterpart. American ice cream has around 18% fat. Gelato has 4 - 7%, depending on flavors. Some fruit flavors have even less, some sorbets are even dairy free.
But don't let the lack of fat fool you - the dense texture yields dense flavor. In '96 I was in Italy when my traveling companion said "I didn't understand how ice cream could BE any better. Now I know!"
Like many things, the Italians claim invention of Gelato for something that may have actually come from China. If you're interested in historical detail there's a short article on the origins of gelato at http://www.aromiditalia.com/gelato/history.html
But who came up with the idea is a moot point for those of us living without the aid of time travel. The only thing that matters is who does it best NOW.
Vivoli in Florence is the best gelateria on the earth.
Oh, you can argue that San Gimignano is packed with delicious gelato, and I'd agree. I sampled several galati there and was impressed. I searched Italy for 9 weeks in '96, and another 2 weeks in '99, hunting for the best gelato. I've traveled across the U.S. sampling various efforts, but even the average tourist-strip gelateria in Italy surpasses most U.S. efforts. So it's safe to assume the folks that have produced the most for the longest, the Italians, probably have gotten it right. And of the Italian gelaterias that I've sampled the best has always been Vivoli in Florence.
My first trip to Italy was on a study abroad program. One of the instructors had been on the trip several times and he recommended Vivoli, specifically the riso gelato, rice flavored. No, I didn't think it sounded good either but eventually I found the gelateria, located on a small side street unappealingly named Stinche (pronounced "stinky" in Italiano) and sampled riso and it took the top spot in my gelato favorites. It's like a sweet rice putting, with bits of cooked rice slightly frozen. It's fantastic. Crema Limone, lemon crème, is also fantastic, and banana is another personal fave.
Rick Steves, of PBS and guidebook fame, has an excellent method for finding better gelato. If the banana in the gelateria is white it's made with artificial flavoring or syrup - don't bother. If it's slightly brown it's made with real bananas - go for it.
Another difference between gelaterias and the corner ice cream stand is the number of flavors - many gelaterias have vast arrays of flavors. Even better, it's customary to get several flavors in a single serving - mix and match what you like. Banana and coffee work well together, almost making a tiramisu flavor, for example. What's The Scoop, here in Atlanta, makes a fantastic plum that worked great when side by side with chocolate.
If you can't get to Italy and don't have a decent gelateria shop in your town it's easy to make your own.
Gelato! : Italian Ice Cream, Sorbetti & Granite, by Pamela Sheldon Johns, has page after page of recipes so you can make your own gelato:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580081975/earplugsforatlan
And there are several recipes online - go to http://www.about.com and search for "gelato."
