Gelato

Gelato is made from a stirred custard with a high proportion of natural flavorings such as fruit purées or chocolate. It is frozen using a machine that incorporates very little air, unlike American ice creams, which have air whipped into them to create volume (this added volume is called “overrun”). Less air makes for a denser and more intensely flavored product. Despite its lighter texture, American ice cream is actually much higher in fat: 10 to 30 percent for ice cream versus 2 to 8 percent for most gelati.