I’ve posted about the great food (coglioni di mulo notwithstanding), aperitivos, digestivos, wine and grappe but I have somehow managed to overlook Italy’s second greatest gift to humanity…GELATI (Italian Ice Cream)! I’m not talking about the commercially packaged supermarket stuff or the stuff made from industrial mixes sold to the unwashed masses. Nope, I’m talking about the artisan “made-from-scratch”, frozen orgasmic gelati that only true aficionados know and love. Italians are as loyal and fanatical about their favorite local gelato makers as they are about their beloved soccer teams…perhaps more so.Our search for the ultimate gelato experience is an ongoing quest. Everywhere we go, we sample, compare and debate the merits of each gelato vender’s product…many are noteworthy but none have as yet transported us to gelato Nirvana. So the search continues.
Beyond assessing the quality of each gelato is an equally daunting challenge of choosing the right combination of flavors. At any given time there are dozens of flavors to choose from which makes selecting the right combination all the more difficult. So, being a linear thinker and analyst, I have developed the following gelato theory:
- Time of Day - Like ordering cappuccino only before 11:00 AM, certain gelati are “morning” combinations; others should only be consumed between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM; and, others eaten after dinner (late into the night). I am very curious if other gelato fanatics share my theory.
- Morning Flavors (Before 11:00 AM) – Any combination of fruit flavors (fragola, pesca, melone, fruiti di bosco, etc.) with plain vanilla or cream (panne) flavor); Caffe and/or cappucino are also fine. No Chocolate, nuts or “complex” flavors.
- Midday Flavors (11:00 AM to 7:00 PM) – Any combination of chocolate or hazelnut with caffe or vanilla; fruit with vanilla; or a single “complex” flavor. A note of caution…some of the complex flavors will seem strange, so ask for a small taste before tackling a whole cup.
- After Dinner Flavors (After 9:00 PM) – Anything goes…but if you can’t handle caffeine at night, stay away from the caffe and cappuccino gelati.
Now it’s quiz time. Raise your hand if you’re old enough to remember:
“Sometimes you feel like a nut…sometimes you don’t!”
That’s an old TV commercial for Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars;. Mentioned by another American tourist recently, she inspired me to try something new. Next time out, I’m going for the Mounds gelati combo (chocolate and coconut) or, if almond gelato is available, the Almond Joy combo (chocolate, coconut and almond). Of course, I may exercise a little Italian artistic license substituting nocciola (chocolate hazelnut; a.k.a. Nutella) for chocolate with coconut…but only after 7:00 PM. Rules are rules…but in Italy, rules are made to be broken.
P.S. – Please don’t make the same embarrassing mistake I made a few years back. Don’t confuse pesca (peach) with pesce (fish)…you might be served anchovy flavored gelato.
