Italy "Wants to Crack Down on Over-Fluffed Gelato"

I forwarded this article to our 2 granddaughters who became very astute at seeking out authentic gelato shops in Italy on a cooking and foodie trip with us in 2019. Thanks for the article!

Good news!
We bought gelato in the heart of Rome from a gelato shop, 1/2 block away I threw mine in a garbage can it was that bad. Every where else it was very good but I can see a need for regulations.

I knew there was a reason I didn’t like gelato. When I would visit Italy in the 70’s I loved it. In later years I just figured my tastes changed, but it wasn’t the same gelato. I believe some gelato shops in Croatia might have the same problem.

Someone told me this a while back: Gelato that is standing stably above the rim of it's container means it's full of stuff it shouldn't be (air, non-natural ingredients) and/or it's being kept too cold. It's a dead giveaway that you should keep on walking. I've been much happier with my gelato since then :-)

When the banana flavored gelato is bright yellow just keep walking.

I remember our tour guide on our RS Venice, Florence, Rome tour teaching us about the real vs the fake gelato. All the tourists go for the fluffy, colored fake stuff and the Europeans look for the bland/natural colors in the flat stainless steel pans.

Some of the most adulterated gelato is found in popular gelato shops in France. Steer clear of those most popular and seek out the lesser known and harder to find shops like Grom or some Bertillon Two on Ile St. Louis are worth the effort IMHO.

I was taught to look at the pistachio. If it's green, it's fake and full of food coloring. It should be more of a tan-ish color.

Thanks for the fair warning acraven about the airy gelato, will try to stay clear of those in the future. While in Rome in 2019 we happened across a dessert restaurant called Giolitti in the Colonna section. A fantastic and authentic place!

About time, Italy! For a country that can argue all week about authentic carbonara, you’d think there would be a standard for gelato. When we lived in Rome, our favorite local place had sealed canisters in the counter, not open to show the flavors. Flavors were listed on a board amd they must’ve had 40! They made it in house and kept it under wraps, sealed away from air exposure, hand scooped by men with serious biceps. It was terrific!

So who only gets their gelato in a cup, not a sugary cone?

And can you identify an American by the way they hold the little spoon? 😊

After have taken some lessons about gelato making I can say that the amount of air and sugar is more a technical question. Usually is called "gelato" when the air amount os low and "ice-cream" when is more whipped with a lot of air. The two final products are different and usually ice-creaming is a technique more suitable for big quantities and industrial production (like the several ice-cream you can find at supermarket, on stick or cone), but doesn't automatically mean that cannot be produced with natural flavors.
In my opinion the point is which ingredients are used. A customer should know if the ice-cream or gelato is made by real fruit or industrial powders. At the moment unfortunately is impossible, because "artigianale" means only that the maker is mixing by himself the ingredients... but even an industrial powder is an ingredient! So if I have a gelateria if I mix milk, eggs, sugar and chemical flavor powder I can write on the sign "gelato artigianale". This is very bad!

Kudos to Rick for including how to spot good Gelato in his guidebooks. I was happy to say I used his advice and shamefully had Gelato daily and was never disappointed. We won't talk about the day I had it twice but it was good then too!

A topic extremely close to my heart. Various & Sundry:

-once in Noto, we noticed that the Bourdain-endorsed gelato frontrunner shop couldn't hold a candle to its competitor down one lane--no contest.
-Polignano in Puglia is one of Italy's gelato meccas, including the chance to supplement one's tasting (research you understand) with local rare 'gelsi neri', a mulberry ice that is not gelato but is still a rare dessert.
-we are fortunate to have a quality shop nearby; it lists its gelato and its ice cream offerings in separate lists.
-in Uzes, France, we once bought some pricey cardamom gelato; we wished that we had not.
-here in Toronto, we have more than one Little Italy neighbourhood; one high-profile Sicilian cafe produces its own line of gelato, a product that can be bought in some grocery stores; their ingredients include artificial flavours.

• Ricky, are there other towns/cities in Italy that in your opinion, feature a higher degree of quality gelato shops?

I am done. the licked spoon

In related news, according to today's WSJ there are two movements afoot in Italy to have UNESCO recognize the importance of espresso and cafe culture. Since this is Italy, the two movements are arguing with each other over whether it should be attributed to the country of Italy or just to Naples.