Close your eyes. Savor creamy frozen sweetness. It’s heavenly.
Gelato.
There are hundreds of flavors, gelaterias, and even prepackaged pints around the world. Think American with chocolate brownie or Italian with pistachio. Check out Israel’s salted caramel. Go classic with stracciatella (vanilla) laced with dark chocolate strands. Of course, there’s always the luscious basics – chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.
There’s no limit to the joys of gelato.
Gelato is made from milk, cream, sugar, fruit or other flavors mixed together and frozen. Today we think of it as Italian ice cream. It’s very different from a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s or a pint of Haagen-Daz. According to David Lebovitz, master chef and author, “machines used to make gelato move very slowly as they churn, introducing little air into the mixture so the finished gelato is dense and thick . . . unlike standard ice cream.”
Gelato uses more milk than cream (lower fat), only sugar (no artificial sweeteners), and is stored at warmer temperatures than ice cream.
Simply put, if you like ice cream you will love gelato.
Who would imagine it all began with the ancients?
It’s a story filled with notable names like Marco Polo, Richard the Lion Hearted, Catherine de Medici and Louis XIV. More recently there’s World Champion Gelateria Dondoli, World Master Adám Fazekas, and the 2022 Netflix film, Love & Gelato.
With these credentials, gelato was destined for greatness.
Who was first? Food historians offer almost as many stories as flavors.
Butolino believed that early Israelites went into the mountains, collected snow, and stored it in special containers to use later. Ancient Egyptians made a “slush” from fruit and snow.
Ancient Romans developed a ritual of eating honey over ice and snow taken from the volcanoes Etna and Vesuvius. Legend says that when love rivals, Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony first met, Cleopatra served them this frozen “drink” in silver goblets.
Wikipedia maintained that when the Muslims conquered Sicily in the 9th century, they introduced frozen desserts. Ironically, in 1295, Marco Polo returned from Asia with a similar recipe – the Chinese had been making it since 3000 BCE.
Who knows? Choose your story like your flavor. The sweet snowy desserts evolved into the gelato we love today.
Fast forward to the Italian Renaissance.
Cosimo Ruggeri was an Italian astrologer, alchemist, and royal advisor (see below). Legend says that the Medici court sponsored a competition to prepare “the most unique dish that had ever been seen.” Perhaps it was magic that helped Ruggeri win with the first gelato, fior di latte? Either way, Caterina de Medici took Ruggeri to Paris with her in 1533 when she married the future king, Henry II of France.
Cosimo Ruggieri, compliments of Wikimedia Commons
Another Italian, Bernardo Buontalenti, was a stage designer, architect, military engineer, and artist. Many consider him the inventor of gelato.
Some claim that gelato simply evolved from the ancients.
Either way, it was Procopio Cutό, a Sicilian chef, who opened the first literary coffeehouse in Paris in 1686. He received a special royal license from King Louis XIV to produce his improved version of Italian ice cream – gelato. His Café Procope is still open today.
Gelato fever was born!
While gelato is an icon in Italian cuisine, Giovanni Bosio immigrated from Genoa to New York in 1770 to make his fortune . . . by opening a gelateria.
Americans caught the fever, too.
Eventually, technology stepped in with hand-cranked machines, electric mixers, automated cone molds, pastes, powders, and artificial sweeteners. By the 1990s Botolino noted that the “quality [was] lowered and standardized . . . [until the] trend reversed . . . resulting in a return to value fresh ingredients and artisanal methods.”
Today you can savor one of the oldest frozen desserts in the world. When you delight in the flavor and aroma of your favorite gelato, think of the ancients, the magic of Cosimo Ruggeri, or the genius of Giovanni Bosio. Imagine the Medici and French courts. True gelato is a gift from the ancients and a Renaissance masterpiece, right around the corner.
Enjoy!
