Monsummano Terme (PT), June 2023 - A true plebiscite. Loved by 93% of Italians (data from IGI - Istituto del Gelato Italiano and BVA-Doxa), ice cream is a real passion in the Bel Paese, which has seen in the last year alone a per capita consumption of almost 3 kg per person (data from Sigep Observatory) for a turnover that in 2022 in Europe touched 10 billion (+13%) and in Italy reached 2.7 billion (+16%). A love that can be defined as "global" and surprisingly sees New Zealand as the most "gluttonous" country with over 28 kg per capita of ice cream consumed per year, followed by the United States, with over 20 kg and Australia at 18 kg.
The figure of 100,000 artisanal ice cream shops worldwide should therefore come as no surprise. But of course there is ice cream and ice cream, and it is not always easy to tell which is truly artisanal and which is made mostly from industrial semi-finished products, although sold as artisanal.
To help us distinguish true artisanal ice cream comes Maitre Chocolatier Andrea Slitti(www.slitti.it), among the world's most important and recognized artisanal chocolatiers, along with his brother Daniele. At the prestigious Chocolate Factory in Monsummano Terme, the two work together to create Slitti's artisanal ice cream without the use of industrial ingredients. Andrea brings his knowledge of cocoa and coffee, selecting only the best products to achieve intense and unique flavors. Daniele, on the other hand, with his pastry experience, helps perfect each recipe, experimenting with doses and processes to ensure a creamy texture and balanced flavor. Thanks to this unique synergy between Andrea's creative mind and Daniele's skill, Slitti ice creams have achieved international fame, becoming a symbol of excellence in the art of artisanal ice cream.
"For a trained palate, artisanal ice cream, in which fresh ingredients predominate, is not difficult to identify - explains Andrea Slitti - the offer, by now, is really wide, and there are so many semi-industrial solutions (and not necessarily of "low level"). A little bit of curiosity can help us distinguish artisanal ice cream)."
1) COLOR IS THE REAL "LITMUS TEST"
"Let's start with the first thing that jumps out at you, which is the color. Appearance is an important, if not fundamental, element in recognizing an ice cream that is quality and handcrafted - explains Andrea Slitti - It is precisely from a careful observation of color, in fact, that we can grasp the differences between an "authentic" artisan ice cream and a semi-industrial one. When the hue is intense and too bright, see for example mint or pistachio, in that case the ice cream has been prepared with semi-finished products and probably even at the taste level the flavor will be too marked precisely because of the added flavors."
2) WATCH OUT FOR THE "NEUTRAL"
"To make ice cream the way it used to be made, you need to have some experience and mastery, as it requires knowledge both in the technical field and of the raw materials you are going to process - specifies Maitre Chocolatier Slitti -. In fact, there are not many ice cream makers who still prepare and dose the ingredients, obviously including emulsifier and thickeners in their laboratories, however, resulting in an ice cream texture that is not particularly strong, and that is why it should be consumed a few hours after production. The vast majority of ice cream makers now use a preparation called "neutral," an additive base with natural thickeners such as locust bean gum, guar gum, tara gum, and pectins. With this preparation you are able to give the right structure to the ice cream and that is why it is in most of the artisanal ice creams found on the market. But net of that, it is then the ingredients that make the difference, and to find out their quality just take a peek at the book or table of ingredients that every ice cream shop must compulsorily display."
3) HIGH QUALITY, FRESHNESS AND SEASONALITY
"Always best to use fresh raw material wherever possible. - clarifies Slitti - even when we use dried fruits, such as hazelnuts and pistachios, we go to add to the base of our ice cream, only and exclusively a high percentage of pure IGP Trilobata hazelnut paste and IGP Bronte pistachio paste. The end result will be very different from using industrial purees inside which there are always additions of flavorings."
+1) TIMING IS EVERYTHING
"The perfect time to enjoy artisanal ice cream? Right after mantecatura, which is when the mixture turns into ice cream by incorporating air and taking on the appearance of a pasty cream," says Andrea Slitti. "After this procedure, it will be passed directly into the blast chiller, for about 2 minutes. By doing this we are going to compact the ice cream, making the texture dense and spreadable. Once the ice cream is removed from the blast chiller, we place the carapina in the wells of the ice cream display case so as to savor all its aromaticity and creaminess for at least 2 days; in case they exceed this time, the risk is to compromise what was done previously."
The Slitti company was founded as a coffee roastery in 1969 by founder Luciano Slitti, distinguishing itself from the beginning by the care and processing of the product. In 1989, sons Andrea and Daniele, expanded the company's offerings to include cocoa processing. Today, Andrea Slitti is recognized as one of the world's leading artisanal chocolatiers: an expert selector of cocoa, he entrusts his palate with the creation of his recipes, which have led him to win more than 180 awards for the quality of his chocolate.
Its ice creams, made in the Monsummano Terme laboratory, can be tasted both in Monsummano-in the historic café-and in the new flagship opened in Florence's Piazza dell'Olio. The flavors not to be missed? Definitely the Riccosa flavor made with the award-winning hazelnut spread, Vin Santo DOC cream, IGP hazelnut and finally Pistachio di Bronte.