The English word we all use to translate gelato is commonly ice cream, but in reality this is not a completely correct habit, especially if we are referring to the dessert produced here, in the United States. In fact, ice cream as they understand it is a completely different product from Italian artisanal gelato, which in fact many Americans call “gelato” or “artisan ice cream” precisely to describe it from the typically American product. The differences between the two products are truly many and range from the use of different ingredients to the different production methods, up to the type of serving temperature and the organoleptic characteristics. In short, just as granita and sorbet have different characteristics, ice cream is not a simple translation of “gelato” but a separate product. Let's discover in detail all the differences between the two types of dessert.
What Are the Differences Between Gelato and Ice Cream?
Gelato and ice cream are not the same thing, but what exactly differentiates one from the other? There are many differences, but the most important to know is the very nature of the two products: gelato has always been an artisanal dessert, ever since its invention in Florence in the 16th century, produced in the ice cream shop laboratory with selected, fresh and usually seasonal ingredients. On the contrary, American ice cream is an entirely industrial product, made in large quantities and designed to be long-lasting, which is why it is mainly prepared preferring artificial flavors and powdered milk. Having clarified this first, fundamental difference, let's discover everything that makes gelato and ice cream different from each other.
1. The Origin
Gelato is much older than ice cream and this is one of the very first characteristics that differentiate the two products. The very first traces of a sort of dessert precursor to gelato can be found in ancient Greece: a Greek poet from 500 BC tells how the Greeks enjoyed refreshing drinks with the addition of lemon, honey and plenty of pomegranate juice, served with snow or ice. Something similar also existed in the Arab world, frozen drinks called "sherbet" which then, with Islamic domination, arrived in Sicily in the 9th century. Real gelato as we know it was born in 1565 at the court of Caterina de' Medici by Bernardo Buontalenti, also the father of several other gastronomic inventions. Ice cream, on the other hand, is a much more modern product than gelato: the first evidence dates back to a letter written in 1744 by a guest of the then governor of Maryland, but only in 1800 did this dessert go from being an elite product to an industry. Like other American industries of the time, ice cream production expanded through technological innovations – including steam power, mechanical refrigeration, electricity and motors, and packaging machinery – until it became the major industry it is today, producing more than 290,000 tons of ice cream annually.
2. The Ingredients
One of the main differences that distinguish Italian gelato from American ice cream is the type of ingredients used. Italian artisanal gelato is prepared using mainly fresh milk and fresh cream and with a whole series of other ingredients such as eggs, fruit, flavourings, chocolate, which are also fresh and high quality. In Italian artisanal gelato, the addition of synthetic flavorings, artificial colorings, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats with the exception of animal milk, emulsifiers, products of genetically modified organisms (GMO), industrial-type strengthening pastes, preservatives and powdered preparations is prohibited. The complete opposite occurs, however, with American ice cream: it is not a fresh product but a product designed for very long conservation, and therefore prefers premixed, rehydrated ingredients and synthetic flavorings, more suitable for a longer shelf life and large-scale production. The production rules in the United States are very different from Italy's and allow a whole series of additives that are prohibited in there. This means that ice cream, an industrial product in all respects, is full of additives and preservatives, artificial colorings used to create attractiveness, it is very sugary and rich in fats: if in artisanal milk-based ice cream we find a percentage of lipids that varies from 6% to 10% approximately, in the American counterpart the percentage reaches even 30%.
3. Use of The Introduced Air
A big difference in production is the way in which the air introduced is added and used. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the government agency that deals with food safety and the health of American citizens by regulating the trade of food and medicines, ice cream must contain at least 10% of fats derived from milk (this is why cream is widely used) but also requires the forced introduction of air into the mixture, through a mechanical process, which acts as a thermal cushion, making it melt much more slowly than Italian ice cream. This aspect affects the volume of the ice cream, which can even double the initial quantity, as well as its consistency and flavor. Italian artisanal ice cream, on the other hand, does not allow the forced insufflation of air but uses batch freezers that introduce little air in a completely natural way, only through the rotation of the batch freezer; furthermore, the gelato must be churned according to a discontinuous process, with manual interventions in the production process.
4. Production and Distribution
The production of artisanal Italian gelato is based on fresh products that deteriorate quickly and takes place in laboratories and gelato shops where production, distribution and sale to the consumer are most often contextual. This type of processing involves a product that is made in limited quantities and that must be consumed rather quickly: according to a 2020 bill that regulates, in compliance with the current European Union legislation on the matter, artisanal gelato, no more than 10 days must pass between churning and sale of the product. Ice cream, on the other hand, is entirely industrially produced in plants that are always far from the points of sale, industries capable of generating very large quantities of product in a short time and that can be preserved for a long time. It is produced in three styles: the classic solid packaged in pints or gallons that you buy at the grocery store, the soft-serve obtained from a machine that dispenses the cream from a sort of “draft” tap, and the cold stone, a processing technique that starts from a portion of solid product worked with spatulas that mix it with other ingredients, spread it out on a sheet of ice and form thin rolls.
5. Serving Temperature and Taste
There is one last factor that also strongly influences the final taste and differentiates the two products: the storage and serving temperature of the two desserts. Ice cream is stored at around -0,4°F/-18°C and sold at much lower temperatures, while gelato has a storage and selling temperature that ranges between 14°F/-10°C and 6,8°F/-14°C. It may seem like a small difference, but in reality it significantly influences the final taste. The very low temperatures of ice cream, which allow for greater shelf life, influence the flavor of the product and, together with the use of artificial flavors, make it less defined and incisive. The storage and serving temperature of gelato, on the other hand, allows the fresh ingredients to be enhanced and gives it more bite, allowing you to clearly distinguish the flavors and enjoy them to the maximum of their organoleptic properties.
What About Sorbetto?
Sorbetto is often celebrated for its bold, clean flavors and refreshing texture, setting it apart from other frozen desserts like gelato and ice cream. While ice cream is made with a rich base of cream and egg yolks, and gelato uses more milk than cream with a slower churning process for a denser consistency, sorbetto distinguishes itself by being entirely dairy-free. Composed mainly of fruit, sugar, and water, it offers an intense, undiluted taste experience that highlights the natural essence of its ingredients. Its texture is smooth yet icier than that of ice cream, providing a light and invigorating option, especially appealing during warmer months. As a naturally vegan dessert, sorbetto not only caters to dietary preferences but also delivers a burst of flavor that’s both pure and palate-cleansing.
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