Published in The Northern Echo Saturday 16th March 2013. View clips here and here
ONE city,
two days, and 17 different flavours: in honour of European Artisanal Gelato
day, Catharine Hewitson seeks out the best gelato that Rome has to offer
LAST
summer, in an effort to promote gelato and give it the gastronomic recognition
it deserves, the European Parliament announced that March 24th should thereafter be recognised as
European Artisanal Gelato Day. With a visit to Rome planned, I took it upon
myself to source the Eternal City’s best gelaterie (gelato
parlours).
‘Gelato’
translates into English as ‘frozen’ and is typically considered to be the
equivalent of ice cream, but is a distinct product in its own right. Whereas
ice-cream has a higher cream content, gelato’s recipe is milk-based so it has a
lower fat content (meaning you can eat more) and sets at a higher temperature
(thus avoiding brain-freeze).
Gelato is
served from either a coppa (cup)
or cono (cone),
although many respected gelaterie shun
the latter because they think the flavour and texture interfere with the whole
gelato experience. It is also worthy to note that in some parlours where gelato
is served, there is a specific ordering protocol: pay for your coppa or cono at the cashier then take your ticket to
the gelato counter and exchange it for your frozen goodies.
Across
Europe, the gelato industry provides jobs to more than 300,000 workers in an
estimated 50,000 parlours. There are hundreds of gelato purveyors in Rome alone
- nearly every street has a cafe or bar with a gelato stand, even if only
serving a handful of flavours. To narrow down my search, my companion and I
focused on four of Rome’s most highly-regarded.
Our first
stop was Gelateria del Teatro, in a street where the buildings themselves are
painted in ice-cream hues of pink, orange and lemon.
We tried pear and caramel, ginger, sage and raspberry, coconut, pistachio and ‘Vecchia Roma’ (Old Rome) – an intriguing yet delicious fusion of cheese and cherry (a three-scoop coppa is 4 euros). Gelateria del Teatro’s flavour combinations are based on seasonal ingredients and the stars of the show are definitely their innovative flavour combinations.
Next was
San Crispino, near the famous Trevi Fountain. Widely regarded as producing the
best gelato in Rome, we were expecting something a little more impressive but
were a little underwhelmed by the narrow, starkly-decorated interior of the
tiny shop. While my companion tried a combination of rum, chocolate and
liquorice root which got the thumbs-up, I paired basil with honey, San
Crispino’s signature flavour (a two-scoop coppa 3.50 euros). It could have been a
poor combination choice on my part but the flavours were difficult to
distinguish between and I came away a little disappointed.
Giolitti
was our next gelato-stop. The Giolitti family have produced gelato since 1900
and the experience at their store is more authentic, with waiters in
traditional uniform and wood-panelled cabinets filled with glazed sweets and
pastries.
We tried
the gelato sorbets in pink grapefruit and Champagne, along with a scoop of
pistachio thrown in for good measure (a two-scoop coppa is 2.50 euros). The tartness of the
grapefruit and sweetness of the Champagne was a refreshing combination and just
the ticket after an indulgent lunch.
Despite
feeling like my stomach was about to explode, we headed straight to nearby
Ciampini, a bar off the ancient Via del Corso. Ciampini’s flavours are listed
on brass plaques on the interior wall and each variety is hidden under a
brass carapina.
This
prevents ice crystals from forming and adds to the decadence of the experience
as the waiter lifts off each lid to reveal the gelato inside. A two-scoop coppa is 2.50 euros, and we chose
pistachio, coffee, coconut and fragoline.
Although the variety wasn’t as wide as some of the other gelaterie we had visited, the
carefully-chosen flavours were sublime. With full stomachs we were content that
we had definitely saved the best gelato until last.
