Gelato, or rather sorbetto (sorbet), may have made its first appearance in Italy on the island of Sicily during the Renaissance, according to Elena Kostioukovitch in her excellent book Why Italians Love to Talk About Food (2006:345-347). Big balls of snow would be rolled down from Mount Etna at the end of winter, and the snow would be kept in caves between layers of felt.
Gelato, however, was popularized in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the Veneto region, when mechanics and metalworkers, with their forges and portable ice boxes, turned to gelato-making and selling while the industrialization was under way, cutting the need for their labour.
Now, ice cream is popular worldwide, but we bow to the Italians when it comes the refreshing dessert, and no experience in Italy is complete without at least una coppa (one cup) of gelato.
Behold, the leaning towers of ice cream cones!
So many decisions! Usually, you get to choose between una coppa (a cup) or un cono (a cone), then how many gusti (flavours) you’d like, and finally, which ones! Here’s a quick and dirty guide to some of the more common flavours you might encounter.
Chocolate Flavours
| Bacio | Chocolate with hazelnut pieces |
| Cioccolato | Chocolate |
| Cioccolato al latte | Milk chocolate |
| Cioccolato all’arancia | Chocolate orange |
| Cioccolato bianco | White chocolate |
| Cioccolato con peperoncini lll | Chocolate hot pepper |
| Cioccolato fondente | Dark chocolate |
| Cioccomenta | Mint Chocolate |
| Gianduja or Gianduia | Chocolate hazelnut cream |
A personal favourite, obviously.
Nut Flavours
| Castagna | Chestnut |
| Mandorla | Almond |
| Marron glacé lll | Chestnut |
| Nocciola | Hazelnut |
| Noce | Walnut |
| Pinoli | Pine nut |
| Pistacchio | Pistachio |
Fruit Flavours
| Amarena | Sour cherry |
| Ananas | Pineapple |
| Arancia | Orange |
| Banana | Banana |
| Cocco | Coconut |
| Fragole | Strawberry |
| Frutti di bosco lll | Wild berries |
| Lampone | Raspberry |
| Lime | Lime |
| Limone | Lemon |
| Mango | Mango |
| Mela | Apple |
| Melone | Melon |
| Pesca | Peach |
| Pompelmo | Grapefruit |
Other Flavours
| Caramello | Caramel |
| Caffè | Coffee |
| Cassata | Cream with dried fruit and chocolate chunks |
| Crema | Egg custard |
| Fior di latte | “Flower of milk” sweet cream |
| Fiore di fragola lll | Strawberry vanilla |
| Liquirizia | Liquorice |
| Malaga | Run raisin |
| Menta | Mint |
| Riso | Rice pudding |
| Stracciatella | Vanilla with chunky chocolate pieces |
| Tiramisu | cocoa, espresso, mascarpone and ladyfingers |
| Torroncino | Nougat |
| Vaniglia | Vanilla |
| Yogurt | Yogurt |
| Zabaione | Egg custard and marsala |
| Zuppa inglese | Custard with bits of cookie |
After you've made your decision, it takes only a moment before you are handed your sculpture of flavours. Buon appetito!
0 comments:
Post a Comment