Thousands of students from around the world flock to courses near Bologna, in central Italy, at the headquarters of Carpigiani, the leading global manufacturer of gelato-making machines. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
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Thousands of students from around the world flock to courses near Bologna, in central Italy, at the headquarters of Carpigiani, the leading global manufacturer of gelato-making machines. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
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Post by Sylvia Poggioli, The Salt at NPR Food (6/17/13)
Italy has secured its place in the global diet with the likes of espresso, cappuccino, pasta and pizza.
The latest addition to the culinary lexicon is … gelato, the Italian version of ice cream.
And despite tough economic times, gelato-making is a booming business.
At Anzola dell’Emilia, a short drive from the Italian city of Bologna, people from all over the world are lining up for courses in gelato-making.
This is the headquarters of Carpigiani, the world’s biggest gelato machine. Next door are the Carpigiani Gelato University and Museum of Gelato Culture and Technology.
A guide explains that gelato has its roots in ancient Mesopotamia, where mountain snow was mixed with fruit and beer for refreshment. She then points to a medieval document, the first written recipe for shrb, the Arabic word from which sherbet derives.
Creamy gelato can be dated to 16th century Florence, where it was invented by an alchemist in the court of the powerful Medici family. Catherine de Medici introduced the delicacy in France after she married into the French royal family.
The museum wall is covered with quotes on the joys of gelato — the French philosopher Voltaire said it’s so sublime, it’s a wonder it’s not illegal.
Gelato-making machines through the centuries are on display at the Carpigiani Gelato museum. Photo: Sylvia Poggioli/NPR
“Gelato was a symbol of … power,” says Valentina Righi, vice president of the Carpigiani Foundation. “Only rich people or aristocrats had ice cellars in their houses, in their palaces, to store the ice during the warm season.”
It wasn’t until the arrival of electricity in the 19th century that frozen desserts became available to all. And modern technology is making artisanal gelato-making fully democratic.
The walls of the Gelato University classrooms are lined with shiny stainless steel gelato-making machines. Students wearing white smocks listen attentively to instructor Christian Bonfiglioli give the morning assignment:
“We’re going to start with four sorbets. You can make 6 kilograms total for each recipe,” he tells the students. “We have, of course, to prepare also the variegato” — a gelato of one flavor striped with another — “so we’re going to mix together white chocolate, hazelnut paste and pistachio bean.”
The students get to work, mixing the basic gelato ingredients — milk, eggs and sugar — with a variety of nuts, fruits or chocolate. And then the machines start to hum as they blend and cool the mixtures.
At Carpigiani, the words “ice cream” are taboo. The most important difference is fat content: zero in sorbet, 8 percent in a tiramisu or chocolate gelato, compared with 20 to 30 percent fat in industrial ice cream.
Gelato has a higher density than ice cream, which is pumped with air, and serving gelato at a slightly warmer temperature than ice cream enhances its taste as it melts in your mouth.
Students prepare ice cream during a course at the Gelato University of Carpigiani in Bologna, Italy, in 2011. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
The secret of great gelato, we’re told, is using the best ingredients and making small batches, so it’s always fresh.
Instructor Alice Vignoli travels all over the world giving courses and spreading the gelato gospel.
“My grandmother do gelato, my mother do gelato, and I always live for gelato,” she says. “And for me, gelato is a passion, is not only a job. When I prepare gelato, I have a smile. [It] is a creative job, and you have the possibility to put your soul in your gelato.̶
