Have you ever wondered where and when gelato originated?

Frozen drinks go way back to the time of Abraham.  Isaac offered Abraham goat milk mixed with snow!  It’s not exactly gelato yet.

The Chinese had a 4000 year old recipe which combined well cooked rice, flavors and snow.  Still not gelato!  Similar desserts have been found in many other cultures.  I guess wherever it got hot, people wanted a cool drink.

Arab traders brought a version of sorbet to Sicily.  Their word for this dessert was sherbet, which means sweet snow. Sicily made a dessert called Granita, which was probably the original sorbetto.

Spread of Gelato

Now we come to Italy’s role in the spread of gelato/sorbetto.  In the mountainous north, which was cattle country, the people of Dolomite used milk, cream, sugar, eggs and flavors to make the first real gelato.  It was stored in deep basements in packed snow.

In the summer months, they sold it to tourists traveling through their area.  When winter came, travel dropped off and so did their income.  So they took their gelato and went to Europe to sell it there.

Role of Caterina de Medici

Caterina de Medici also played a big role in introducing gelato to Europe.  She decided to hold a contest to create “a singular plate that had never been seen”.  The winner of the event was Giuseppe Ruggeri, a chicken vendor, who created a magnificent sorbet.

Caterina was so impressed that when she married Henri II of France she took Ruggeri with her to France as one of her Italian chefs.  He made many fantastic desserts for court dinners, but refused to share his secret recipe with the other chefs.  They hated him and he eventually returned to Italy to his chickens.

More significant names

Gelato Ice Cream

Another important name in the history of gelato is Bernardo Buontalenti who was part of the court of Francesco de Medici.  He was the first to create gelato by churning it over salt and ice.

In the 16th century, gelato was a rich man’s dessert, served mainly in the court settings of the kings and queens of Europe.  It wasn’t until the 17th century that sorbetto began to be sold in the town square.  In 1686, Francesco Procopio opened a restaurant and sold gelato to the public.

Italian pastime

Now, eating gelato, like drinking espresso, is an Italian pastime.  People enjoy sitting in sidewalk cafes, cooling off with a delicious gelato and people watching.

Stephanie
Italian Nonna

Simple Italian Cooking

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