Gelato: The world’s tastiest ice cream

Summer in Rome, Italy, can be sunny and hot, with high temperatures ranging from 28 to 30Cº. I really recommend to you to use shades, light clothes, hat, and stay always hydrated if you are planning to travel to the capital.

I am used to the Caribbean temperatures, but I felt like I was going to melt at any time, so besides water and beer, I also ate a lot of ice cream, specially my favorite: the stracciatella. I mean, who does not like ice cream? In fact, in Rome, you can find the tastiest and creamiest: the famous gelato.

To this delicious dessert, historians attribute several origins; however, one of the most accepted is the one that goes back to ancient China, around 618 AC, where there is evidence of the first ice creams preparations. According to these tales, King Tang was said to have his ice cream made with buffalo milk, cows and goats; this mixture was boiled to ferment it like yogurt, and flour was added to thicken it, besides camphor and some flavor. Furthermore, some historians claim that salt and ice were used to reach the freezing point, but others think it was frozen with snow.

Then, the recipe was passed through India, Persia, Greece, and finally Rome. Precisely, during late Middle Age, it is when Italy starts to develop their trademark ice cream style. In fact, when returning from his trips to the East in XIII Century, Marco Polo had some recipes of frozen desserts prepared in Asia, which were popularly adopted by the rich Italian class.

The gelato, just like the one we eat today, greasy and creamy, was elaborated for its first time on Florencia, during 1500. Since then, it got part of the rich Italian gastronomy, evolving with different types of preparation until our days.

So, if you have the chance to travel to Italy during any season, do not pass to taste a gelato!

tina paez with a gelato

Leave a Reply
