What is Gelato?

As the summer months roll in and the heat rises, we all look around for something to cool us off. Gelato with Tangle Chocolate Topping, anyone? 

But Wait, What Is Gelato, Anyway?

The first gelato as we know it today was created as part of a dessert competition in Florence, Italy held by the Medici family in the 1500s. But frozen desserts were perhaps first consumed way back in 3000 BCE…and some say that ancient Romans, as part of a ritual, made a gelato-like honey-sweetened dessert from the ice that formed on Mt. Vesuvius.

Gelato was introduced to the United States in 1770 but took a back seat to American ice cream due to the technological advancement of rapid-churning machines used to make ice cream. However, gelato has seen a resurgence in popularity due to increased awareness of its beneficial differences over ice cream. In a word, gelato is healthier (which may be why it costs significantly more than ice cream).

Gelato and Ice Cream Compared

While ice cream is traditionally aerated quickly, gelato is slow churned, resulting in a more dense, smooth, and silky product. Gelato is made with less heavy cream than ice cream—in fact, the Bindi gelato that we’re using is made from skim milk, not cream. So gelato contains less fat and fewer calories per serving than ice cream. How much less fat? It depends on the brand of gelato and ice cream, but the range is between 10-30%. (We at Tangle think this leaves more room in your diet for our rich chocolate topping!) 

Gelato is stored and served at a slightly higher temperature than ice cream, which makes it slightly easier for us to taste the flavors. When anything, including chocolate and wine, is served too cold, the palate becomes a bit numb to the complexity of flavors being presented. When paired, our chocolate sauce and the gelato shine together for a full-flavored tasting experience.