17 January 2022 – Even as the shadow of the pandemic imposes new restrictions all across Europe, the masters of artisan gelato are refusing to give up. With tenacity and creativity, they are still getting ready for the tenth edition of European Artisan Gelato Day, which will be taking place throughout Europe on 24 March, celebrating this internationally acclaimed product, its craftsmanship and its gastronomic tradition.
In partnership with Longarone Fiere Dolomiti and IEG – Italian Exhibition Group, Artglace launched a competition between European gelato makers, in order to come up with the recipe for Dolce Sinfonia (Sweet Symphony) the official flavour at the 10th edition of Gelato Day. The competition was originally set to take place over two rounds: a pre-selection during the 61st edition of MIG at Longarone Fiere Dolomiti and a second round during the 43rd edition of SIGEP, originally scheduled for the end of January. Following the postponement of SIGEP to March 2022, in accordance with the Competition Rules «Should it not be possible to carry out one of the two scheduled rounds, due to restrictions caused by Covid-19, the winner of the award will be the gelato maker with the highest number of votes in the only round held», Artglace was forced to bring forward the closing date of the competition, cancelling the second round scheduled for SIGEP in Rimini.
In the first round, the highest score was awarded to Silvia Chirico, owner of Tenuta Chirico in Ascea (near Salerno), who thus becomes the author of the official recipe for the flavour that will be available in gelato parlours all over Europe on 24 March. In a perfect blend of tradition and careful selection of ingredients, Silvia won over the jury with her version of Dolce Sinfonia, a chocolate and hazelnut-based gelato enriched with two typical local products, i.e. ricotta and figs. The white base is set aside to age, and under Chirico's touch chocolate sauce, hazelnut paste, fresh ricotta and dried figs in a rum syrup are added, creating a gelato with a truly unique flavour.
The Flavour of the Year will be featured in all of the gelato parlours across Italy and Europe signing up for the 2022 edition of Gelato Day. Sweet Symphony will be the centrepiece of all of the events taking place on 24 March to celebrate artisan gelato, the only food to which the European Parliament has ever given its own day: an expression of quality, authenticity and territoriality, as well as the driving force behind an entire, broad-based supply chain, from raw materials to specific gelato ingredients, from gelato machines to display cases.
All of the updates you might need about the tenth edition of Gelato Day can be found on the website and on the official Gelato Day pages on Facebook (@24MarzoEuropeanGelatoDay), Instagram (@Gelato_Day) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/GelatoDay).
Gelato parlours throughout Italy and Europe have been invited to take part in the 2022 edition of Gelato Day by signing up at www.gelato-day.com and posting all of the events planned for the 24th of March 2022.