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Over the past few years, gelato has gained a lot of popularity here in Toronto, and many cafes, restaurants, and chocolate shops now serve it in addition to or in place of traditional ice cream. However, although I often enjoy gelato in the summer, I didn’t know much about it until recently, when I discovered that the word gelato is rather interesting because of how it’s used in English! According to the Wikipedia article…   

“In the Italian language, gelato is the generic word for ice cream, independent of the style, so every kind of ice cream is referred to as gelato in Italian. In the English language, however, the word gelato has come to be used to refer to a specific style of ice cream derived from the Italian artisanal tradition.This is similar to the word chai, the generic word for tea in multiple languages like Hindi, Persian, Russian, Turkish and Swahili, that in English has come to refer to a specific style of tea of Indian origin.”

I thought that was interesting because I also like chai tea (although it must sound redundant to say ‘chai tea’, like ‘tea tea’). So, what is gelato in English and what makes it different from other kinds of ice cream?

“Artisanal gelato in Italy generally contains 6%–9% butterfat, which is lower than other styles of frozen dessert.Gelato typically contains 35% air and more flavoring than other kinds of frozen desserts, giving it a density and richness that distinguishes it from other ice creams.”

And now we know! My favourite gelato comes from SOMA, an independent Toronto-based chocolatemaker (in fact, I’m heading down there as soon as I finish writing this!). So, if you ever visit Toronto in the summer, be sure to check them out in the historic Distillery District downtown!