Gelato (gel-ah-toh)—— Ice Cream

(And some freebies)

Nocciola (no-cho-la)—–Hazelnut
Sorbetto (sor-bet-to)—–Sorbet
Gelateria (gel-ah-tour-ia)—Gelato parlor

Gelato has got to be one of the best things to come out of Italy. For me, that is saying a lot as I am a big fan of most things that come out of Italy. To call gelato, ice cream, is almost not fair. In my mind, being a fan of both, they are altogether different.

Gelato is much creamier and is usually made with ingredients from Italy. Giving it a much richer flavor than ice cream which is generally a harder consistency, although I have had some that come close, like Herrell’s Ice Cream in my old hometown of Northampton, MA.
That being said, gelato also contains about half the amount of dairy fat as ice cream. This makes it a healthier choice! There is also the Italian version of sorbet called sorbetto which originates in the more southern parts of Italy and Sicily, which contains no dairy fat at all, and comes in exotic and refreshing flavors like: lemon, watermelon and mango. To see where you can get delicious gelato, please see my review of The Gelato Company in You say Gelato, I Say Gelato Americano.