In celebration of National Ice Cream month, and National Ice Cream Day (July 15, 2007), Kool Technologies has prepared a brief history of gelato and some interesting facts about the desert.
What is gelato…?
Gelato, the Italian word for “frozen” is the name given to an ice
cream-like frozen dessert composed mainly of milk, sugar, cream, and
whatever ingredients the gelato is flavored with. This can be anything
from fruit to chocolate, or more recently some less traditional flavors
such as tiramisu or even bubblegum.
Although commonly confused with what most of us consider American ice
cream, gelato is not to be mistaken for its “American” counterpart.
The history of gelato dates back to the 16th century, where some
believe that it was first created by Bernardo Buontalenti in Florence.
Gelato did not become popular however, until the Sicilian Procopia dei
Coltelli began selling it publicly when he opened a café in France.
Did you know…?
Manufacturers add air to their ice cream after it is produced to make
it lighter and fluffier than gelato, unfortunately, this also cuts back on the taste of ice cream. Gelato
has very little air, which accounts for its richness in flavor.
While the gelato of northern Italy was produced using dairy products,
the gelato of the hotter southern parts was traditionally produced
using water and fruit. This came to be known as sorbetto, or sorbet.
Gelato requires a special freezer in order to maintain its creamy
consistency since it is typically kept between 0°-6° Fahrenheit, about
10 degrees warmer than ice cream.
Gelato, although creamier and more flavorful than American ice cream
actually has fewer calories and much less butter fat than ice cream.
So have some gelato this month without having to worry about packing on
summer pounds. Prego!
About Kool Technologies:
Streamwood, Illinois’ Kool Technologies is a leading distributor of
refrigerated restaurant equipment including soft serve ice cream
machines, frozen custard machines, and their state of the art vertical
batch gelato machine by Stoelting. Stoelting’s gelato machines differ
from the typical horizontal style because their vertical batch allows
you to actually see what you are making.
Kool Technologies is the official Stoelting distributor for Northern and Central Illinois as well as Northern Indiana.
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Looking for something new? Try one of our rugged and reliable Stoelting Batch Freezers for Ice Cream, Gelato, Granita, Sherbet, Sorbet, and Water Ices. Like all Stoelting machines, these units are simple to operate, easy to maintain, and built to assure perfect frozen desserts every time.
