- Gelato
Gelato, or the plural Gelati, is Italian ice cream made from a liquid, milk or water; a solid, sugar, fats or sweeteners; flavorings, pastes, fruit powders; stabilizers, guar gum, locust bean, etc.; emulsifiers, mono- and digylcerides; and air. The process in which gelato is made varies on the ingredients used as it can be made using a hot process, which includes pasteurization or as a cold process which doesn't require pastuerization. Both processes require a gelato batch freezer, which makes the end product by mixing the ingredients and incorporating air. Like high-end
ice cream , gelato generally has less than 55% air, resulting in a denser and more flavorful product.Overview
Gelato is typically made with fresh
fruit or other ingredients such aschocolate (pure chocolate, flakes, chips, etc.), nuts, small confections orcookie s, orbiscuits . Gelato made with water and without dairy ingredients is known assorbetto (also known assorbet ). Traditionally, milk-based gelato originated innorthern Italy , while the fruit and water based sorbetto came from the warmer parts ofsouthern Italy .Dairy gelato is made with cow's milk (whole or skim) and contains less
butterfat depending on the ingredients (nuts, milk, or cream increase the fat content). North American style ice creams contain more butterfat than gelato, ranging from 10% to 18% since cream is used. Good quality gelato combines high quality ingredients with milk and cream,soy milk , or water. Gelato is usually made with whole milk which is 3–4% butterfat. Unlike other ice cream, gelato ingredients are nothomogenized , which results in a product that melts faster.Some gelato recipes call for eggs, although with the
homogenization of the Italian gelato culture and mixes andstabiliser s readily available and in use, eggs are being phased out asemulsifier s. Flavoured Gelato for sale in Singapore.]Some people have the misconception that the word "gelato" is related to "
gelatin " and that the latter is an ingredient, chasing awayvegetarian s and other people wishing to avoidgelatin . Traditional gelato recipes do not call for it and most gelato is not made with gelatin. "Gelato", comes from the word for "freeze" or "frozen".The best gelato is made fresh daily. In the UK, gelato is served from a different
freezer than American style ice cream—aforced air freezer—which is usually held at about -15°C (5°F). This allows the gelato to be served immediately after being extruded from the gelato machine— the "forced air" blowing around holds the product at a consistent temperature. In Italy gelato is typically served with a spoon out of a special freezing tray, ensuring a thicker, more flavourous consistency. Much of the gelato experience lies in its semi-frozen consistency; therefore, you may serve ice cream from a gelato freezer but you may not serve gelato from an ice cream freezer--the gelato would become too frozen.Other countries make ice creams similar to gelato. In Argentina,
helado is made much the same way. In France (though usually slightly higher in fat)glace is a very similar product and, in fact, was introduced to France byCatherine de' Medici (ofFlorence ).Some Italian food products use gelato as a main ingredient. These include
ice cream cake ,semifreddo s (gelato cake),spumoni , cassate,Tartufo , and fruit filled gelato candies, elizabeth miller , and mignon. Gelati are often eaten in cones, or in bowls with awafer typebiscuit .A popular Indian legend holds that an Italian trader visited India during the time of Buddha and presented the Buddha with a bowl (or cup) of Gelato. The Buddha is said to have been pleased with the gift and to have shown his gratitude by passing on a corpus of Buddhist teaching to the Italian trader, with the intent that the Italian would bring the Buddha's wisdom back to his homeland. The legend holds that the trader died during a storm at sea on his return voyage, thus preventing Buddhism from reaching Italy for several centuries. The historicity of this story, however, is extremely dubious, and it must be viewed as folklore. [1] . In tribute to this legend, a popular gelateria in the Pali Hills section of Mumbai serves a tasty coconut gelato called "Buddha's Delight."
Traditional flavours
*
Banana -- Artificially flavored 'Gelato di Banana' is yellow while that made from fresh bananas is tan or light brown.
*Chocolate (Cioccolato)
*Coconut (Noce di Cocco)
*Coffee (Caffè)
*Custard (Crema)
*Dulce de leche
*Frutti di Bosco
*Hazelnut (Nocciola)
*Lemon (Limone)
*Mint (Menta)
*Panna cotta (literally Cooked Cream)
*Peach (Pesca)
*Pistachio (Pistacchio)
*Stracciatella (fior di latte and chocolate)
*Strawberry (Fragola)
*Tiramisù
*Vanilla (Vaniglia)Production
It is common for a producer to use different ingredients for several reasons:
*instead of fresh ingredients,powdered milk ,fruit concentrate s and othersweetener s (such asglucose ) can be used to save money
*stabilisers andpreservative s can be added to make it last longer
*colourant s can be added to alter its appearance.ee also
*
Italian ice
*Frozen custard
*Frozen yogurt
*Ice cream
*Sorbet
*Spaghetti Eis External links
* [http://www.italylogue.com/food-drink/italian-gelato-flavors-decoded.html Gelato Flavors] - List of gelato flavors and what the names mean.
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