In Search of Perfect Gelato-Serious Business
I love ice cream. Chocolate. Dark. Sweet. Rich. I love ice cream so much that I never buy it at home. I wait for special occasions. How special? Trips back to Jamaica or to Italy. And I say this not to insult any other countries and their ice cream offerings but to give myself boundaries. I have a simple rule of thumb. If I am going to ingest 1000 calories at one go they had better be worth it. Of course I could have ice cream from the store and it will be adequate but the real question is will it be worth it? When I have to tack on an extra three kilometers to my morning run Brand X does not qualify.
Until I went to Italy I thought the best ice cream in the world could be found at Devon House, Kingston Jamaica. I am a patriot but Italian gelato in Italy is a world of wonder. I try the gelato in every Italian city or town. I have to. And I am going to rank my top five. In doing this I rely on two criteria; taste and did it warrant a repeat visit. I ignored the brusqueness or friendliness of service, the miserliness of portions or whether I was offered a taste beforehand.
Number 5. Perugia. Simple and lovely.
Number 4. Bologna. I walked for what felt like miles. Castiglione is a long road and this was almost at the end. Always a good sign when Bolognese are breaking the queue to get at this goodness.
Number 3. Verona. The city was so hot that anything cool would do but somehow the gelato makers of Verona take their jobs seriously.
Number 2. Positano. The little tabacchi at the bus stop on the main road. Every mid-morning for five mornings = five pounds. But worth it.
Number 1. Parma Per Sempre. I could write reams about the goodness of the gelato sold in a chain called Emilia. As fortune would have it not more than 30 feet across the street from my hotel was my personal branch. These people are so beautiful, they allow you to choose between light and dark chocolate sauce to go down the funnel of your cone before they scoop and serve. They serve with such care and precision and I for one am grateful.
Someone tried to explain to me why the gelato is so good. Something about air whipped in and cream and blah, blah, blah. I have no questions, just hand me another cone this time with dark chocolate in the tip.
Where's your favourite ice cream? Are you a gelato purist? Tell me.