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4 Essentials About Gelato From Italy’s Best Gelato Maker

Native Romans Claudio Tanzi and Juraj Detvaj run one of Italy’s top-ranked gelaterias. For the past seven years, Rome-based Torce’ has been ranked with a “Tre Coni” by the “Gambero Rosso”, Italy’s most prestigious ranking in the gelato craft. Additionally, Torce’ has been awarded the “Best Chocolate Gelato” in Italy.  

We sat down with Tanzi and Detvaj to get their tips for our readers on all things gelato and chocolate.

America Domani: For all the chocolate lovers in the world, what is one thing that is essential in chocolate gelato?

Tanzi and Detvaj: To make a premium chocolate gelato, it is absolutely necessary to choose the right type of chocolate. This seems obvious, but it is actually one of the most difficult things for a gelataio (gelato maker) to choose. For example, our chocolate is not made just with cocoa. Instead, we use the entire mass of chocolate, beginning with pure 100 percent chocolate without any sugar added. This enables us to balance our recipe with the most amount of pure chocolate possible so that the flavor and scents are optimized.  

AD: What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about making gelato at home?

T&D: At-home machinery is very limited, so this can be a difficult task. The preparation of a high-quality gelato requires extremely delicate care as well as patience and precision. The best advice for someone who is dabbling with making gelato at home is the choose the most natural and highest-quality ingredients available, beginning with ripe fruits that are in-season and fresh premium milk. 

tubs of gelato from Italy

AD: You have invented some unique flavors, such as tomato gelato. How do you come up with these flavors?

T&D: Making gelato is a culinary delicacy. Along these lines, every type of plate imaginable can become a flavor of gelato. We have always treated gelato making as a gourmet craft, oftentimes making it a complementary dish to accompany an aperitivo or an appetizer as opposed to solely a dessert. For example, tomato sorbet or sauternes and fois gras can become a special element that makes a dining experience unique and memorable. 

AD: What is the most important thing about gelato?

T&D: A high-quality gelato is easy to recognize. The colors must be particular and natural. You will never see blue or fluorescent green colored flavors in a quality gelateria. Gelato needs to be contained always inside the tubs within a gelateria and protected from high-ranging temperature swings. One thing that all gelato lovers must remember is that good gelaterias always display their ingredients. Any gelateria that hides its ingredients from customers surely is not producing high-quality gelato. 

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