During the scorching heat of the summers or at the end of a meal, it is always befitting to have a glass of fruit sorbet or frozen gelato on the plate to cool ourselves down.
While relishing them, we never think what are the main differences between the two cool treats? Let’s find out in details.
“Gelato” means ice cream in Italian. However, the sinful delicacy is slightly different than that of the conventional ice cream. Gelato has a custard base and is made of less amount of milk fat with little air let into it while freezing. It also has a soft texture and looks glossier because unlike ice cream, it is served in warmer temperature.
“Sorbet” is a frozen delight that contains fruit juices, sugar, and crushed ice. It has an intense and refreshing flavor. It had its origin in ancient Persia, Western Asia, Indian subcontinent, and Indonesia. Later it came to be known as sorbet in France.
Gelato is a popular sinful delicacy and after-dinner indulgence that had its origin in Italy. Marco Polo, the famous Italian adventurer and merchant who traveled to Asia rediscovered it. It was him who brought both the sinful sweet treats to Italy. Aristocrats of Italy and people of different socio-economic strata started to enjoy and appreciate it.
With Italians known for their enthusiasm for food and deep appreciation of fine gastronomy, they improvised the sweet treat and made it delectable by improvising the ingredients. Gelato continued to evolve and began gaining popularity outside the boundaries of Italy. Its popularity started to spread in Western Europe, the streets of New York and also other parts of the world.
On the other hand, the roots of sorbet were traced back to Western Asia, Indian subcontinent, and Indonesia.
Gelato is made of milk, sugar, cream, egg yolk, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and a range of seasoning agents.
Sorbet is prepared from fruit juice, lemon juice, puree, liquor, raw honey or maple syrup, corn syrup, wine and others. The most popular fruits used are watermelons, grapes, mangoes, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, cantaloupes, peaches, oranges, bananas, and pomegranates.
Gelato has a base of 3.25% milk and sugar.
Sorbet has a base of plain ice that is an amalgamation of water, sugar, egg whites, and lemon juice.
Gelato has a fluffy and dense texture similar to custard and is prepared the same way as ice cream but at a slower rate with less air being churned into it. It is chilled in warmer temperatures.
On the other hand, sorbet is prepared in the ice cream maker at a faster rate with little air let in. Apart from ice cream maker, you can also use a heavy-duty blender or food processor that can break down chunks of frozen fruits and squeeze the juice. However, you have to keep on using the blender until the juice becomes completely smooth in texture.
Gelato is available in many delectable flavors. Those who love chilled sweet treats can delight themselves with “Amarena”(Cream and Sour Cherry), Straciatella (Cream and Chocolate Sauce), “Noce Di Cocco”(Coconut), Cioccolato Fondente Extra Noir (Extra Dark Chocolate) “Bacio”(Dark Chocolate Hazelnut), “Dulce De Leche” (Caramel), “Mandorla”(Almonds), “Gianduia”(Milk Chocolate & Hazelnut), “Biscotto Della Nonna”(Chocolate Chip Cookie), “Nocciola”(Hazelnut),”Zuppa Inglese”(Custard, Chocolate, Lady Fingers), “Cantucci”(Almond Cookie).
Sorbet also comes in many refreshing fruity flavors. Some of the popular ones include Peach Mint, Raspberry Coconut, Pomegranate Champagne, Melon and Blueberry Float among others. These are timeless flavors and you can customize them at your home by improvising and using your own set of ingredients.
Gelato contains plenty of calories and fats that make it bad for health. With more milk and less air, it contributes to obesity and weight gain if consumed on a regular basis.
Sorbet primarily contains juices extracted from fresh tropical and exotic fruits that are known for their extraordinary health benefits. However, if you add sugar, it will become extremely unhealthy. Hence to reap maximum health benefits from sorbet, you can make it free of sugar or sweetener and go calorie less or fat-free.
To conclude, both gelato and sorbet are delicious sweet treats that can rejuvenate you and quench your thirst in summer. But if you are a fitness freak or health-conscious person, then perhaps you need to be a little sensible with the ingredients and omit sugar or sweeteners.
0 Comment