The Sweet Meltdown

Italian Gelato is just the thing for the hazy days of summer

Summer is here, and it's only fitting that you should do as the Italians do: enjoy a refreshing gelato. Italian ice cream has a colourful history. According to legend, Roman Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar sent slaves to the mountains to bring snow and ice to cool and freeze the sherbets he so loved. Another story suggests that it was Marco Polo who began the ice cream craze when he returned from his trip to China and brought back a recipe for making treats that resemble modern-day sherbets. And yet another story points to Catherine De Medici and her Italian chefs who are credited with bringing the icy treat to France. From there, as one legend has it, the sweet caught on and gained international exposure.
Gelato means "ice cream" in Italian, but there's a great divide between North American ice cream and the Italian version. Gelato is generally made from whole milk, eggs, sugar and natural flavouring. Gelato is also lower in fat than the version you buy in your grocery store. Depending on the flavour, gelato has about 1 - 6 percent fat, while North American ice cream has about 10 - 18 percent. It also has less air content than North American ice cream, and it's made at a higher temperature, making it softer and smoother. Gelato recipes usually require milk rather than cream and often use egg yolks to create a creamier texture.
But no one knows if credit should be given to the southern Italians, the Tuscans or the northerners. Most culinary historic accounts suggest the icy dessert is the ingenious idea of the Sicilians, while a few adamant voices contend that it was the northern Italians who developed gelato using a traditional ice and salt freezing process.
Sicilians developed a formula that thickens the milk with corn or wheat starch, rather than egg yolks. Tuscans insist credit is due to Bernardo Buontalenti, who they revere as the gelato's creator. Buontalenti's recipe is based on sweetened milk and egg yolks.
Northerners contend they have perfected the icy treat. The milk used in their gelati is made by cows that graze alpine meadows. Northern gelato also relies on ingredients like Piedmont hazelnuts, real pistachio nuts, seasonal fruit and liquors.
To appease all of them, Italy now offers three types of gelato: Sicilian (made with milk, but no egg yolks); Tuscan (made from a milk-based custard) and northern (created from a cream-based custard).
During the summer months, enjoying a gelato is the thing to do in Italy. Gelato shops (gelaterie) stay open until 1 a.m. or even later. Gelato is everywhere. You might want a coppa (cup) a cono (cone), a gusti (a scoop), or you might like your gelato with panna (whipped cream).
Gelato's close relations include frappe (similar to a milkshake), semifreddo, sorbetto and granite.
Semifreddo (half cold) is created from the same base as gelato, but includes whipped cream and resembles a mousse. Fruit sorbet (sorbetto) is a fruit and ice dessert often served in Italy at the finale of a meal. And then there's granite, a slushy water ice dessert.
For the perfect homemade gelato it's important to remember a few key points. Prepare ingredients in a metal or stainless steel bowl. Use the freshest ingredients: fresh, whole milk and eggs. Store in stainless steel bins for maximum freshness.
Some traditional gelato recipes include cioccolato (chocolate), vaniglia (vanilla) and fragola (strawberry). For something a little different, try out Egg Custard Gelato, a satisfyingly rich delicacy that's just the thing to cap off a wonderful dinner. Another favourite is espresso gelato, which is sure to put an extra spring in your step.
But what about that dreaded ice-cream headache? You've probably experienced it at some point. You're enjoying your favourite frozen treat, and then suddenly, you're hit with what seems like the most painful headache. So where do they come from? The cause is a dilation of blood vessels in the head. When the nerve centre located above the roof of your mouth gets cold it reacts by trying to heat your brain. There's no way of avoiding an ice-cream headache, if you still want to indulge in a gelato now and then. And now that the hot weather is here, how can you resist?

Publication Date: 2004-06-27
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4110