On 24th March 2019, the Artisan Gelato-Makers of Europe Celebrate the 7th Edition of European Artisanal Gelato Day

On 24th March 2019, the Artisan Gelato-Makers of Europe Celebrate the 7th Edition of European Artisanal Gelato Day

Flavour of  the year pays homage to Italy with Tiramisù, as Master Gelato Artisans prepare to pit their skills against each other in the Tiramisù Gelato Italian Cup for the honour of providing the official recipe

Mestre, 23rd November 2018Tiramisù will be flavour of the year for the 7th Edition of European Artisanal Gelato Day, the brainchild of Longarone Fiere and Artglace which now by tradition will be celebrated across Europe on the 24th March next year. The announcement comes on the occasion of the 59th International Exhibition of Artisan Gelato, held in Longarone from 2nd to 5th December.

After honouring the German tradition by awarding flavour of the year for 2018 to Black Forest, a chocolate gelato with a sour cherry ripple, for the 2019 edition Italy made a bid through G.A. - the Committee for the protection and promotion of artisanal gelato. It was then decided that the star of the 2019 edition would be Tiramisù. Gelato lovers will be able to find this special flavour in all of Europe’s gelato parlours which decide to take part in Gelato Day.

Intriguingly, the official recipe for Flavour of the Year will be decided only after the Tiramisù Gelato Italian Cup on Sunday 2nd December which will be pitting master gelato makers against each other to make the finest gelato possible based strictly on the tiramisù recipe. The competition is reserved for gelato artisans operating in Italy who will be preparing and pasteurizing their own mix before batch-freezing it at the Longarone Trade Fair. Once the gelato is ready, each competitor will have 3 minutes to explain it to the panel and 2 minutes to answer any questions they might have. Each recipe will be assessed according to the quality of the gelato and the technical skills of the gelato artisan and the one with the highest marks will be certified as the winner of the Tiramisù Gelato Italian Cup 2018 and his or her invention will become the official Artglace recipe for European Artisanal Gelato Day 2019’s Flavour of the Year (complete rules and regulations can be found on the website  www.mostradelgelato.com).

But that's not all: during the four days of the International Exhibition of Artisan Gelato, there will be a workshop where visitors will be able to taste the Gelato Day Flavours of the Year from all 7 editions: so, in addition to Tiramisù and German Black Forest, there will be Chocolate of Austria, the Belgian Poire Royale, the French Framboise Melba, the first flavours Fantasia and Stracciatella of Europe, as well as two original flavours representing the Netherlands and Spain.

Indeed, European Artisanal Gelato Day has been held officially every year since 2013 and is the only "Day" which the European Parliament has so far dedicated to a foodsuff, the heritage of all gelato makers and the entire supply chain, for the following reasons: “Of all fresh dairy products, artisanal gelato is a product of excellence in terms of food quality and safety, raising the profile of agri-food products in each individual Member State”.

This makes Gelato Day a unique opportunity to raise awareness of the advantages and virtues of artisanal products, a true expression of quality, authenticity and territoriality. Gelato lovers will not only be able to find the famous Tiramisù flavour at every participating gelato parlour in Europe, but will also be able to participate in initiatives and events that will be unveiled shortly (joint promotions by gelato makers in the same area, gelato-themed contests, master classes for children and teachers on how to make gelato and on its properties, events in conjunction with sports bodies or social associations), many of which will travel across the web and via social networks thanks to the www.gelato-day.it page and to the official Gelato Day accounts on Twitter and Facebook (www.facebook.com/24MarzoGelatoDay).

After all, there is nothing better than sharing an excellent hand-crafted gelato: the only tasty, hygienically flawless product with excellent nutritional properties that, in an infinite range of variations and new flavours, creates unity among the peoples of the world, and also has a significant market value. In Europe, artisanal gelato employs 300,000 workers in 60,000 gelato parlours, turning over 9 billion a year (with annual growth of 4%). Italy alone has 39,000 points of sale of hand-crafted gelato and Rome is the “queen of gelato” with 1,400 specialist parlours giving work to 4,200 staff (data from Milan Chamber of Commerce, 2016). But Italy is also a world leader for ingredients and semi-finished products for gelato (45 manufacturers generating total turnover of 1.4 billion euros, 600 million of which was made up of semi-finished products for gelato) and in the manufacture of machinery and showcases for gelato parlours (generating sales of 481 million euros). Finally, every gelato parlour that opens abroad – around 100,000 in total – generates annual exports for Italy of at least 100,000 euros in equipment, furnishings and machinery and 25,000 euros in products and ingredients (SIGEP Study Centre 2017 using AIIPA, Coldiretti, SIGEP and Uniteis data).

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