Artisan gelato is giving America’s traditional frosty treat a run for its money.
Sweeten up your summer with a big scoop of gelato.
Americans have formally adopted gelato, which many consider the artisan variety of ice cream. But what is the difference between these two treats?
Gelato is a style of ice cream that was originally produced in Italy—it literally means “ice cream” in Italian. But unlike traditional American ice cream, gelato is made with a larger proportion of whole milk to cream, resulting in up to 50 percent less fat. It also has less air whipped in because it is more slowly churned than ice cream, creating a denser product. Bottom line, while the key ingredients in both might be similar, the difference lies in the proportions of them and how they are churned together.
While most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference—they look and taste similar—gelato has become increasingly popular, going from a niche product for connoisseurs to cornering a five percent share of ice cream’s total annual $14 billion market share.
So maybe you, too, will order your ice cream this summer the Italian way: “Posso avere un gelato?”
