Italy – Gelato

by Umer Butt

ABOUT THE DISH

If you ask an Italian what his/her favorite dessert is they will all say one name only “Gelato“. Gelato is a frozen dessert which is made with the combination of milk, cream and sugar. You can also add egg yolks to give it a more creamy texture. Once the batter is made it is then finished off in an ice cream maker machine which is not essential to make it but if used then the work gets done more easily. Gelato is not like other ice creams it has more percentage of real flavor and you can taste the milk as well. It can be made with many flavors like other ice creams and can be easily made at home as well. In Italy it can be easily found everywhere. There are many shops which solo sale this dessert and everyday many people visit these shops and eat it. It is all the delight of the summer season as mostly it is served in small cups so that the people can enjoy it while walking. It is not treated as an ordinary dessert. It has always been valued highly and it deserves all the credit. It has an original feel to its taste and provides a cool comfort to the person that is why it is one of the best desserts ever made.

MEANING OF NAME

Gelato is an Italian word which literally means “frozen” just like its texture and its flavor. It may look like an normal ice cream but it is not.

ORIGIN

Gelato originated in Sicily in the 16th century. Sicily was already famous for its ice creams which were brought in their areas by the Moors. At that time fruit juices were mixed with ice to give it texture like ice cream but it was not a success. Each country had its ice cream which it was famous of and currently in those times Italy was lacking this stature but soon came a man named Bernardo Buontalenti who was an painter , architect and also a cook. He opened his shop and made the first the gelato and the rest is history.

HISTORY

The first gelato was made by Bernardo Buontalenti who was a native of Florence. He made this frozen treat and soon it became very popular in all of Italy and got so much recognition and its modern version was made first by Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli in the 1600’s.He opened his shop in Paris and there he made the first gelato which soon became so popular and recognized that more and more countries started to pick it and in no time it was famous in all of Europe. In those times it was made by hand only as there were no machines. But as the time flew by technology became advanced and machines were invented which could produce gelato at an high rate. These machines were set up by Italy and other countries and soon the production of gelato increased. in 1940 there was a person named Bruto Carpigiani who started to develop small scale machines which could make gelato at a safer level and turn the time to today Carpigiani company is the highest selling gelato machine company. Gelato is considered a prize in all of Italy and it is loved to the core.

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED TO MAKE GELATO

• Whole Milk 2 ½ Cups

• Heavy Cream ½ Cup

• Granulated Sugar 2/3 Cup

• Vanilla Extract 1 Tbsp

• Egg Yolks 7

• Salt ¼ tsp

SPECIAL KITCHEN TOOL REQUIRED

• Ice cream maker machine

STEPS TO MAKE GELATO

• Take a bowl and add the given amount of egg yolks in it.

• Add some sugar over the egg yolks.

• Take a whisker and whisk the mixture until a foamy texture is achieved.

• Take a pan and put it over a stove at medium heat and add the given amount of milk and heavy cream in it.

• Heat the pan until small bubbles appear in the milk.
• Take some milk out from the pan and put it into the yolk mixture which we made early.

• Keep stirring the yolk mixture while adding the milk.
• After this add the yolk mixture back into the pan with the milk and stir again.

• Take it off the heat and add the vanilla extract in it and stir to mix.

• Now take a sieve and strain the mixture so that any lumps of yolk is left out and totally liquid mixture remains with us.

• Once done take out a mixture in a pan and cover it nicely and put it in chiller overnight.

• The next day take out the mixture from the chiller and put it into the ice cream maker.

• It will take about 30-35 to turn the mixture into gelato.
• After the required time take the gelato out of the machine and serve it into a cup/cone.

• Your dessert is ready

TIME NEEDED TO MAKE IT

• PREPERATION TIME : 20 minutes
• COOKING TIME : 40 minutes
• TOTAL TIME : 1 hour
• YIELDS : 8 servings

NUTRITION VALUE

• Calories  132
• Total Fat  3.8g
• Protein  2g
• Carbohydrates  24g
• Sugar  20g
• Fiber 0g
• Calcium   72mg
• Sodium  53mg

MY RECOMMENDATION

Gelato is the one to have that is not only my opinion but millions of peoples opinion as well. It is natural in flavor and its coolness just have a chill affect on a person. There is a reason that is considered a gem in all of Italy and all of Europe. It deserves all the credit and it deserves to be eaten and enjoyed so my recommendation always will be to try it once and then decide for yourself what you wanna do afterwards. It is a great family dessert and a great way to finish of the dining.