A World of Frozen Confections
Whether you are in the American Midwest when summer heat and humidity are thick enough to slice or anywhere hot around the world, ice cream is a universal language. Frozen confections have been reported as far back as the second century B.C. According to Saveur Magazine, all frozen desserts made with water or with milk or cream are technically called ices, but not all ices are alike. They can be served as bombe, frappé, frozen custard, frozen yogurt, gelato (Italian), glace (French), granita, ice cream, kulfi (Indian), parfait, semifreddo (Italian), sherbet, sorbet, or tofutti.
In India, kulfi made with milk boiled down to a velvety smooth thick liquid is sold frozen on a stick or in chucks served on a green pipal leaf in flavors like pistachio, chewy dried fruit, and mango. In Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey—the self-proclaimed ice cream capital of the world—dondurma (ice cream parlors) are famous for their cold, stretchy ice cream made from sahlab—ground orchid root—that gives it its characteristic elasticity.
In Paris, the quintessential French ice cream shop is Berthillon on the Ilê St-Louis. There you can sample glace—French ice cream traditionally made with a cooked egg-custard base and cream—or a sherbet-like, fruit-based sorbet. In Mexico, tropical ice creams include candied fig spiked with mescal, refreshing passion fruit, a Popsicle paleta with apple and pear, or cloud-white tequila ice cream.
In Denmark, oversized ice cream cones—made popular in the early 1900s at Lydolph’s Isbar in the seaside town of Hellerup—had grown by the end of the century into towers of ice cream scoops topped with whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate jimmies and even marmalade. When I taught in Thailand in the late 1960s, the favorite after-school treat was an ice cream sandwich—a hollowed out piece of a French baguette stuffed with ice cream made with sweet adzuki beans topped with sweet corn and crushed peanuts—purchased from a bicycle vendor pulling a cart who announced his arrival by ringing a small bell attached to his handlebars.
These days, my favorite frozen ices come in pints of handcrafted Talenti Gelato and Sorbetto. Talenti’s historical beginnings, according to their website, are as follows: “In the mid 1500s, Bernardo Buontalenti, a well-known Florentine architect and artist was the chef for extravagant banquets held at the Medici family court. At Talenti’s most famous banquet, more than 50 dishes were served. When the guests first sat down and unfolded their napkins, a small bird flew out of each, heralding a meal of unprecedented artistry. At the end of the stunning meal, Talenti unveiled his most famous creation, an exquisite frozen dessert…gelato.”
The American Talenti brand began in 2003 as a store-front gelateria in Dallas, TX. Founder Josh Hochschuler based his recipe on a traditional Argentine gelato-making method. CEO Steve Gill, a Columbia, MO native and son of our dear friend Libby Gill, put the 500-year-old Talenti-family frozen desserts on the map.
As a geographer and writer who delves into culinary history, I love the fact that Talenti gelatos and sorbettos are made with freshly pasteurized milk and ingredients sourced from around the globe. This is evidenced by their geographically-named flavors—Belgian Milk Chocolate, Tahitian Vanilla, Roman Raspberry, Lisbon Lemon, Caribbean Coconut, Sea Salt Caramel, Hill Country Peach Champagne, Argentine Dulce De Leche, Mediterranean Mint, and Sicilian Pistachio.
More than a decade after first tasting Talenti’s frozen gelatos and sorbettos in Missouri, I can find Talenti in its signature reusable clear plastic containers with brown lid in my favorite Nevada City and Grass Valley markets. Today, Talenti also makes mini gelato and sorbetto bars, dairy-free varieties, and creative new flavors and pairings.
Forty summers ago, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day. Whether you like plain vanilla or super premium designer flavors, frozen confections stacked in a cone, Turkish style slices topped with pistachio nuts, or scoops served in a bowl, ice cream is a universal delight any month of the year!