Every town has one, and ours was the Dairy Kurl. In fact, the little stand is still there, on the way to the beach and just across the street from the park, a red-and-white striped building with two windows: one for orders, one for pick-up. I can still remember watching Mom push the money under the first window and then waiting what seemed an eternity until—finally—the second window opened, a rush of cold sweet air hit me in the face and a hand emerged holding a gloriously tall ice cream cone. How many children have memories like this?

The local ice cream shop is as American as apple pie and Liberty herself, but frozen confections predate Elvis by more than a few summers. Some years ago I spent a particularly hot August in Ukraine, and stood in a long line with Kiev locals to buy a sweet and plain ice cream—locally “мороженое” (pronounced morozhne)—that vendors were selling out of cardboard boxes on the street. In Japan it was a trendy café and red-bean flavored mochi, a frozen treat made from pounded rice. Same with Korea, though the flavor was translated to me as “barn floor,” and it tasted accordingly. Paris served up pastel-colored frozen “boules” that tasted like Easter candy, while China promised “chocolate ice cream” but delivered something that tasted like cold carob and spoilt milk. The world loves ice cream, and I’m a tourist with a spoon. But if I had to pick just one spot on Earth that really, truly does it right (at least to my taste buds), I’d have to head for the land of red cars and la dolce vita. Without question, the Italians perfected the genre with gelato.

History
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Where did ice cream come from, anyway? Well, as with many things, the story of ice cream’s origins is shrouded in intrigue and mystery. There are records of a milk-based frozen dessert from the Tang Period in China, sometime between 618-907AD. Apparently, King Tang of Shang had no fewer than 94 “ice men” whose responsibility (aside from serving a king with one of the coolest names ever) was to create frozen desserts made from cow, goat and buffalo milk, mixing those with rice, honey and flour and allowing the mix to ferment. It was then combined with snow to create the earliest known form of ice cream. Maybe. Other sources put it even earlier, variously attributing the first frozen milk-based dessert to the times of King Solomon (971-931 BC), the Roman Emperor Nero (54-68 AD) and Alexander the Great (336-323 BC), all of whom may have enjoyed their own versions of 31 flavors.

For the “Chinese origin” supporters, there’s a direct connection to the gorgeous Italian creation: Rumor has it that in 1295 Marco Polo returned to Venice from his Far Eastern travels with the recipe for—you guessed it—gelato. Italophiles contend he enjoyed a dish before ever setting out.

Whatever its true origins, gelato came into its own in the 16th century at the House of Medici in Florence. Here again, we have a bit of mystery. One story holds that the Florentine cook Bernardo Bountalenti invented modern gelato in 1565 and presented it to Catherine de Medici who went on to introduce it to France and subsequently the rest of Europe. Another story credits Giuseppe Ruggeri, a chicken farmer by trade, who entered a contest put on by Catherine de Medici to create a new and exciting food. He won with his frozen dessert, which Catherine took to France when she married Henry II.

Gelato can be enjoyed to the full without enhancement by any flavoring whatsoever, but who would say ‘no’ in all honesty to a few slivers of chocolate?

WHY WE LIKE IT
The ingredients for gelato are fairly simple and basically the same as any good ice cream you’ll find in the States: milk, cream, sugar and a number of different flavorings. But in comparison to ice cream, gelato has less butterfat, less sugar and approximately 100mg of calcium per serving, making it somewhat of a less guilty pleasure. Furthermore, the sugar and water in gelato are precisely balanced to prevent the treat from freezing solid. Due to the processes by which gelato is created—often a hot pasteurization process and aging period that allows the milk proteins to bind with the water—the ice crystals in gelato are typically smaller, resulting in the smooth texture coveted by gelato aficionados. Additionally, gelato is frozen quickly (commercial ice creams are usually frozen gradually on an assembly line). The final product is denser and holds its flavor better than—though not as long as—conventional ice cream. If you’re eating gelato at a quality gelateria, you’re eating a fresh product.

The local ice cream counter will always have a soft (serve) place in my heart, and there’s nothing better for a summer day at the beach. But when you’re in the mood for a pure winter of decadence in your mouth and you feel ready to explore a dreamer’s array of flavors like Mascarpone Rum, Sea Salt Caramel and Zabaione (egg yolks and sweet Marsala wine), take a cue from Marco Polo, the Medicis and all the rest of them and dive into a bowl of gelato.

EATING IT
Io urlo, tu urli, tutti urlamo per il gelato! — or as we say in the States: I scream, you scream, we all scream for gelato. It’s possible to make gelato at home using a conventional ice cream maker, but it’s far easier to source some from a quality gelateria. Be sure to ask where their gelato is made, when it’s made, and if the ingredients are organic or locally sourced. All of the above can impact the flavor and texture. After you bring it home, the gelato should be placed in the freezer for at least two hours prior to eating (it’s only really semi-frozen, after all), and conventional presentation has it served with waffle-cone wafers or a sliver of chocolate. As for us, we’ll take it with fresh fruit or naked as the day it was born. Pure, sweet and cold. Ché bella.

Photography: Meghan Tilley