Italy is known to be a country full of beauty and super tasty food. Its pasta and gelato/ice cream are probably two of the biggest and most delicious foods that people come from far and wide to try. Recently, there have been discoveries that some creameries are filling their refreshing desserts with extra air to make them appear fluffier/lighter than they really are! The Italian Senate is considering taking these matters into their own cone or dish.
The Sydney Morning Herald explains that the Italian Senate may create fines for ice cream artisans if their ice cream doesn’t meet specific quality standards – including the amount of air in the desert. These fines could be up to €10,000! That is one hefty bill to make ice cream a little more enticing.
Check out this video on the quality of Italian gelato being enjoyed in Sydney!
Yum, I can see why Italy takes so much pride in this beautifully-crafted dessert!
A Senator for the bill to limit air in gelato, Riccardo Nencini, said:
Italian gelato is one of the gastronomic symbols of our country, along with pasta and pizza. But our laws do not preserve artisanal ice cream and producers who make it.
On the other hand, a gelato master from Rome, Alberto Manassei, retorts:
The issue of inflating gelato is a fake one. Pumping air into ice cream is possible just by using some ingredients instead of others. If you go through the list of ingredients, you’ll see that the key one is often the last.
This law would only allow 30% of the mixture to be air, while some currently have up to 80% air. It would also prohibit the use of artificial ingredients, promoting fresh ones.
Hopefully, this all gets worked out because all of the gelato talk is making me want some! If you found this article interesting, check out this one on Budweiser to give away free beer to anyone who’s fully vaccinated.
