One of the most loved food in the world is Italian gelato, with a history dating back right to the Egyptians, where Pharaohs used to offer their guests a chalice divided into two parts: one with snow and the other with fruit juices.
However, to see a version of Gelato which is more similar to the one we know, we have to fast forward until 1565 where Bernardo Buontalenti, a native of Florence, Italy, delighted the court of Caterina Dei Medici with his creation: a delicate mixture of snow, salt, lemon, sugar, milk, and egg white.
Around the world
It was 1686 when a Sicilian, Francesco Procopio Dei Coltelli, opened a café named “Cafè Procope” in Paris introducing Gelato (made with fruits, honey, and ice) to Europe and, of course, it quickly became one of the most celebrated haunts of the literary establishment in France.
Gelato was brought to the USA in 1770 by the Italian Giovanni Biasolo, but in 1846 Nancy Johnson brought ice cream to the masses with her hand-cranked ice cream churn, which consisted of concentric cylinders, a lid, a paddle, and a crank.
An inner can was placed inside the main bucket. Then ice and rock salt were placed between the two vessels. Because salt lowers the temperature of ice, a thin layer of milk froze in the inner can.
The crank on the outside was connected by meshed gears to a paddle inside. The hand crank moved the paddle that scraped the frozen milk from the walls to expose a layer of milk not yet frozen. The consistent stirring and temperature resulted in smoother ice cream with a uniform texture.
Gelato or Ice Cream?
Although we are commonly mistaken, we should not confuse Gelato with Ice cream. Gelato is a healthier product, made with fresh ingredients, and above all, it has less air than ice cream, making the flavor much more intense.
If you are still unsure, why don’t you pay us a visit and try one of our delicious flavors of Gelato from our Menu? You will be blown away!