WhAT IS GELATO?
ever wondered what the difference is between gelato and ice cream? find out why investing in high-quality gelato could be a game-changer for your business
That the plural for gelato is gelati? So, if you want to sound like an authentic Italian when you order more than one scoop (and believe us, you’ll want multiple scoops!) then be sure to use ‘gelati’!
If you think that gelato is a modern Italian delicacy, you’re wrong! In fact, iced desserts date back to 3000 B.C, making the concept of sweet, cold puddings over 5,000 years old. However, gelato as an Italian specific delicacy has a far more interesting and complex history, dating back to the court of Catherine de’ Medici in the 1600’s.
The cousin of gelato, sorbet, was made popular in Italy in the early 1900’s having been brought over from Asia by none other than Marco Polo, who returned to Venice with a sorbet-like recipe that has since become a staple in the Italian diet. It’s with this rich history in mind that Joe Delucci’s has aimed to bring the most authentic taste of Italy to the British Isles, because we just couldn’t gatekeep authentic Italian gelato for much longer!
Gelato is specially concocted by creating a custard base mixture of milk, cream and sugar, with additional flavours to create the unique array of options Joe Delucci’s have to offer! However, gelato typically contains more milk than its ice cream counterpart, and does not tend to include egg yolks – be sure to ask which of our options is egg-free before ordering! When it comes to storing gelato, the dessert is typically stored at a slightly warmer temperature when compared to ice cream for optimal smoothness.
When it comes to the all-important serving of gelato, we recommend using a spade-like tool to shape and soften the texture as it is placed onto a cone, plate or bowl.
Gelato is simply the translation of ‘ice cream’ in Italian, but also refers to a quintessentially Italian form of ice cream, which is why here at Joe Delucci’s we refer to our products as gelato, because it’s produced and shipped to us directly from our factories in Italy. You can expect a more luxury experience when you purchase gelato when compared to regular ice cream, with the Italian variant typically having three special features that make it stand out from the crowd:
Firstly, gelato generally contains between six and nine per cent of butterfat, which is the fatty component of milk. Typically, other ice cream products will contain a far higher percentage of this ingredient, and in this case more doesn’t equal better! More butterfat means more trans fats, which is generally agreed to be bad for your health, making gelato the far healthier option when compared to ice cream!
Secondly, gelato has much less air whipped into it during the production process when compared to ice cream as it is churned at a much slower speed, which creates a product that is far more concentrated, creamy and smooth. In fact, regular ice cream is approximately 50 per cent air (yes, you’re eating half a scoop of air when you consume your desserts!) whereas gelato’s rich texture contains an average of only 35 per cent. This is akin to whipping cream by hand versus with an electric whisk, with gelato being the equivalent of the hand-whipped, hand-crafted product. What’s more, the density of gelato leaves your customers feeling full from smaller portions, albeit not in a way that feels too stodgy or dense.
Lastly, when compared to ice cream, gelato contains more flavouring – in the case of Joe Delucci’s products, we don’t include any artificial colours of flavours, so you can be rest assured that you’re not just getting more flavour: you’re getting more quality ingredients per bite than your average ice cream.
It is surely no surprise that gelato is one of the most popular dessert menu options across Italy! However, the rest of the globe is catching onto the Italian’s love affair with gelato, with over 100,000 gelato stores being open across the globe.
When it comes to the popularity of gelato specifically in the UK, it’s safe to say that the Brits are rather obsessed with the Italian’s favourite sweet treat! The frozen desserts industry in Great Britain is worth £1.32 billion, with as many as 631,000 Brits eating a frozen ice cream or gelato treat each and every day! We can’t say we blame them…
At Joe Delucci’s, we have an abundance of gelato options to choose from – but which ones are most popular with the general public?
According to a study by Deliveroo based upon their best selling gelato flavours, it seems as if the Brits have quite different gelato preferences when compared to the Italians! Brits’ flavour of choice is no other than basic cream gelato, which makes the perfect accompaniment to a variety of sweet treats, or simply on its own! In second place is chocolate, followed by strawberry, making the top three ice-cream flavours for Brits a Neapolitan triad! It’s also evident that British consumers like more niche flavours such as coffee, banana and coconut gelato.
However, if you set foot in Italy, expect to see Italians consuming flavours such as Pistachio, Hazelnut, and Stracciatella (a plain cream flavoured gelato filled with chocolate shavings), which are the three most popular flavours according to the same Deliveroo survey.
Whether you’re looking to create an authentic Italian experience with an abundance of unique flavours, or simply appeal to local British tastes, Joe Delucci’s have a flavour list that will leave you spoiled for choice. With egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free options, as well as flavours suitable for vegetarian and vegan consumers, there is a gelato for everyone!
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CONTACT HQ DIRECTLY!
Phone Number
01926 651 478 (24 / 7 - 365)
HQ Address (Made In Lake Como)
Gelato Manor, The Hangars, Harbury Lane, Leamington Spa, CV33 9SA
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