Canadian’s gelato scoops up award in Italy

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun

Level 3

Did you know you can study how to make ice cream at university?
James Coleridge knows. In 2009 he studied in Italy for a year.
He wanted to learn the old way of making this sweet, frozen treat.

History of cold treats
These cold treats are not new.
In the 1500s in Italy, cooks made sculptures out of frozen fruit juice.
A century later frozen treats made with milk became very popular.

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What is gelato?
Coleridge owns Bella Gelateria in Vancouver.
There he makes a delicious treat called gelato.
“Gelato” in Italian means “something frozen”.
But Italian gelato is different from the ice cream we know in Canada.

The differences
Gelato has only seven per cent fat in it. Ice cream has 28 per cent.
Gelato has more egg yolks, more milk, and less cream than ice cream.
And it is served 10 to 15 degrees warmer than ice cream.
So, the flavour of gelato is stronger.

More air, more ice cream
Did you know? Ice cream is 60 to 80 per cent air.
Water is also added to the cream, milk and sugar in ice cream.
Half of a carton, or box, of ice cream may be air.
This is why ice cream melts faster.
And more air means a larger amount of ice cream.
Ice cream scoops more easily than gelato. So, it is easier and faster to serve.
In Italy you are not allowed to add water and air to gelato.

Gold medal gelato
In May, Coleridge won a gold medal in Florence, Italy, for his gelato.
He beat 29 other gelato makers in the gelato festival.
He made a special gelato out of Canadian maple syrup and pecans.
Then, in July, he heard that he got another award!
More than 200,000 visitors went to the gelato festival.
They could vote for their favourite.
Coleridge’s Canadian gelato got the most votes.
He got the “people’s choice award”, too.

The old way is best
Coleridge knows why his gelato is so good.
He makes the gelato slowly, the old way.
And he makes small batches or amounts.
Most ice creams for sale are made in larger amounts.
They are made to keep in a freezer for a longer time.
So the ice cream is frozen at a lower temperature.

The secret
Coleridge uses only fresh ingredients. The flavours take 12 hours to develop.
They are stored carefully, so the temperature stays the same.
James can make over 500 flavours. But each day he makes 24 different ones.
His choices depend on the weather. Or his mood.
They also depend on what fruit is in season.

He does it in front of everyone
Coleridge is proud of the way he makes his gelato.
At his shop you can watch them making gelato the old way, from scratch.
Coleridge says, “…we think you deserve the best”.
He wants people to taste the difference.