Cipriano's Authentic Italian Gelato

Fun Facts about Gelato

Gelato, translated from Italian means ice cream.

Gelato cannot be called ice cream in the United States. In order for it to be called ice cream. it would have to have minimum of 10% butter fat. Cream flavored (milk-based) gelato has only 4-8% butter fat. Fruit flavors are water-based and contain less than 1% fat.

History of Gelato

Gelato was created in Italy in the far north by people of Dolomite and in the far south by Sicilians. In the area of the Dolomite Mountains, the gelato was made with milk, cream, sugar, eggs, and natural flavors. Snow was stored in the basement during the winter season to be used in making gelato during the summer. When tourists were traveling during the summertime into the moutains of Dolomite, the sale of gelato was one of the major sources of income for its people. Gelato was considered to be a rich man's dessert and few people could afford it. During the winter time the Dolomites would travel to Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France to sell gelato in the rich communities. Consequently, throughtout the decades, Italians were dominant in the business of milk based gelato in northern regions and neighoring countries. In the far south, gelato was lower in fat, predominantly water based, slightly higher in sugar content and was called "Sorbetto", known today as "Sorbet". Many fruits, such as lemons, limes, oranges, and berries were used to make this gelato, Similar conditions to the Dolomite region were available in the south, especially in Sicily, where underground storage, some as deep as 90 feet, was used to store compacted snow. Likewise Sicilians would travel to neighboring countries to sell their wonderful dessert to rich clients.
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