Florence: Grom Gelato

To erase the disaster that was our dinner we went to Grom for some gelato. I didn’t know Grom was popular and had branches around Italy, Japan and the USA.

It had lots of people in the store and that meant it was good.

Another thing that assured me of it’s quality was the gelato wasn’t piled in huge mounds which usually meant it was full of air. Grom’s gelato were in these stainless vats.

We shared a couple of cups. The first cup was Sha’s choice of stracciatella or cream base with Columbian Teyuna chocolate chips. I chose the Caffé which was made from Guatemalan Genuina Antigua coffee and I loved it! It tasted like a strong espresso and was perfect after a meal.

Stracciatella & Caffé

Rochelle chose two fruit sorbets which were a bit too tart for our tastes. This was the last time she ordered sorbet and this was the last time we all shared gelato. After this first gelato we all became greedy little gelato monsters claiming it was our balm to the hot, hot Italian weather.

While the food in Italy wasn’t as good as the meals we had in Spain all the wonderful gelato we had more than made up for it. Watch out for many more gelato posts.

Limone & Fragola

I read this article before going to Italy and it became the basis for choosing where to eat gelato.

Gelato – Tips for Spotting the Real Thing 
(from Traveldudes)

It’s not difficult to find a gelato in Rome.

There are gelaterias on nearly every corner of the city, each one ready to fill hungry mouths with their deliciously creamy treat.

The hard part is knowing if you have found genuine, handcrafted, naturally-flavored gelato.

Since nearly 80% of gelato in Rome is fake, that task can seem daunting. But armed with this knowledge, spotting the real thing is no problem.

1. Evaluate the color:
Natural ingredients are not neon colored. Neither is real gelato. Look for soft, muted colors, especially in the Pistachio, Mint, and Banana flavors. Pistachio should be an earthy green, Mint should be white, and Banana should be whitish-grey. And do not be fooled by the fruit they put on top. It may look pretty, but it doesn’t mean any actual fruit was used in the making.

2. Look at the shape:
If the gelato is arranged in huge mounds above the top of the metal tubs, then it is fake. The reason it can hold this shape is that it has a much higher percentage of air, made possible using chemical stabilizers. So if you want a richer, more flavorful experience, and don’t want to pay for air (which you can get anywhere else for free) then go for something less globular.

avoid gelato that looks like this

3. Observe the Ingredients List:
Roman food shops are required by law to display their ingredients list, so it is a red flag if you can’t find one or have to search for it. When you do locate the list, count how many of the items are coded with an E followed by a number. E140 and E141 are natural additives, but most others are artificial creations.

4. Last and most obvious:
If you see stacks of cement-like bags behind the counter labeled with the names of different flavors like fragola, menta, and mandorla, than you are in the middle of a crime scene- the crime is known simply as “gelato fraud.”

Bonus:
Want to look really smart in front of your friends and family? Wow them with your knowledge of what makes gelato different from ice cream.

1. Gelato is made with mostly milk, whereas ice cream is made with mostly cream. Therefore, ice cream has 2-3 times the fat content.

2. Gelato is made using a slow churning process, whereas ice cream is whipped. This means gelato has a lower air content making it denser and richer.

3. Gelato is served at a warmer temperature than ice cream, and freezes at a lower temperature, so it is soft from the first spoonful.

Source: Traveldudes

Grom Gelato
Via del Campanile angolo via delle Oche 50012 Firenze 
telephone:  +39 055.216158
Opening Timetable:
from April to September opens everyday 10:30am-12:00am
website

They have branches in Malibu, New York, Osaka, Paris & Tokyo too. Click here for more information.