So for those of you wondering if gelato is in fact better
than ice cream, I can assure you, they really don’t even compare. When you get
the real, homemade stuff, oh it’s good. I was fortunate enough to look and
sound like a tourist when I went into a gelateria way back when my sister was
here, and was offered the opportunity to learn a little bit about how gelato is
made. Bridget, Kasey, Paige, Danny and his mother who is visiting all came with
me to Gelateria Del Teatro Lungotevere to watch a demonstration.
It was awesome! After a little confusion over my name NOT
being Amy (no worries Carlos!), we learned a little about gelato itself, then
watched Carlos make a batch of probably-the-only-flavor-I-don’t-remember-the-name-of.
He mixed up the ingredients, then poured it into the machine, which then had to
pasteurize it for about 6-8 minutes. It then flows into the bottom of the
machine where it churns and freezes it, which probably takes about 15-20
minutes. The flavor Carlos made was a layered kind, so he had pre-made a batch
of the chocolate so he could show us how to do that. It looked like a lot of
fun, and the number of flavors they make is insane! He said they use all fresh
ingredients, like for the sorbets; they use all fresh fruits from the markets.
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The Ingredients |
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Carlos mixing the ingredients |
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Carlos layering the gelato and filling |
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Ta Da! |
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Other guy taking the gelato of the machine |
Then, of course, we got some gelato and enjoyed it outside in the beautiful weather Rome had given us that day. I got chocolate and mint chocolate chip… it was phenomenal! I was nervous to try it at first, because, fun fact about my childhood, I hadn’t eaten mint chocolate chip ice cream until last year since the incident of little Liza putting too much mint extract in her vanilla ice cream and getting sick. My first bite of the mint was very strong, and I was starting to regret my decision, but mixed with the chocolate it was perfectly balanced!
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SO MANY WONDERFUL FLAVORS |
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Mint chocolate chip and chocolate! |
Observation of the
Day: I am truly going to miss the gelato here. I am fully regretting not
having at least once every single day I have been here, but I have one more month
to make up for that!