What’s the big fuss? Well if you’ve had good gelato in Italy, you wouldn’t be asking. But for those who have not. The dairy used in gelato has far less fat. But wait, isn’t that a bad thing in the flavor department? In this case, no. Apparently, flavors ‘pop’ better because of the lack of fat coating your taste buds. So if you use really high quality ingredients, their flavors will shine more than they would in a heavy-creamy environment. They also typically use higher quality ingredients, and serve it at a lower temperature. The temperature thing, I get. Serve a red wine chilled hard, and the nuance will be tucked away – until it warms up. Now admittedly, this is about nuance and quality. If you’d rather have the 4L pail of generic-brand stuff, please have at it and leave the gelato alone.

My wife and I have a favorite gelateria in Venice. We’ve tried gelato in most parts of central Italy. And I have to say, the most memorable gelato for me is in Rome. It seemed the quality there was outstanding, the garnish [another thing that makes gelato king] was awe-inspiring, and the variety was through the roof. ‘Worst gelato’ goes to a roadside joint in Grosetto, Tuscany. It ain’t all created equal. That’s why you gotta try it. My flavors to try, my standbys, to determine if a place is decent: ‘pistachio’ and ‘nocciola’ [hazelnut/chocolate]. Although I went on a bender trying ‘cioccolato’ and ‘tartufo’ once.

So needless to say, I’m eager for things to chill up so I can churn it and get it onto a gelato spoon – which I conveniently have a large stock of. Good thing.