History of Gelato

In ancient Rome, more than 2000 years ago, our ancestors enjoyed a sweet and refreshing treat that was the origin of modern gelato. This rudimentary version was a finely grated ice into which fruits and honey were mixed. Early cafes were found among the ruins of Pompeii where historians detected that hot beverages were served in the winter time and frozen desserts in summer. Back then, naturally, there was no such thing as a freezer to make ice, so slaves were sent up into the mountains to gather it by hand. The resulting delicacy was a luxury few could afford. Going forward to Renaissance Italy circa 1500, the Golden Age of Arts and Sciences - renowned Italian chefs who cooked for royalty and the upper classes, would prepare similar desserts by putting sweetened cream into tubs that were submerged into salted ice where the mixture would freeze. This invention was one of the earliest machines for making gelato and as such the discovery was considered nothing less than a revelation.

Then, in the mid 1600's, a young Sicilian man named Procopio Coltelli, went to seek his fortune in Paris. With a combination of luck and smarts, he flourished by selling in the markets, a trendy new beverage just in from the Middle East called - coffee. Using that capital, he went on to open what would become an essential establishment for Italians along with people all over the world – the cafe. He called it Il Caffe Procope, and it was a huge success, attracting all the wealthiest Italians. In a stroke of genius he began making a gelato using fresh fruit, to which he gave the name sorbetto.

Coltelli devised a system that would turn liquid to solid, using cold. He mixed together fresh fruit, sugar and a bit of water in a round metal pot. This would be submerged in salted ice, and turned with a handle to promote a freezing. The sweet liquid would begin to form crystals along the edges of the pot, and these were removed with wooden spatulas. After twenty minutes, the sorbetto was ready. With a wooden spatula those crystals were removed from the edges and after 20 minutes the gelato was ready. Today, the machines are made of stainless steel and they use engines to freeze the base, but the concept of “mantecazione” is still the same as was invented by Procopio Coltelli, the father of Italian gelato.

In the first half of the 1800's, in an advantageous combination of events, the prices of goods went down, and the level of salaries went up. As a result, many gifted Italian artisans were able to open gelaterie all over Europe. A large number of these artisans were from the Dolomites, those magnificent mountains overlooking Venice where milk was plentiful and delicious. They used it to prepare gelati based on milk and mixed with a variety of flavorings, and so the world was introduced to gelato as we know it today