Created by Enrico Panattoni | Invented 1962 | |
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Similar Gelato, Gianduja, Sorbet, Tiramisu, Amarena cherry | ||
Stracciatella ([strattʃaˈtɛlla]) is a variety of gelato, consisting of milk-based ice cream filled with fine, irregular shavings of chocolate. It was originally created in Bergamo, northern Italy, in 1962, and was inspired by stracciatella soup, made from egg and broth, which is popular around Rome. It is one of the most renowned Italian gelato flavours.
Description and origin
Stracciatella gelato is somewhat analogous to American chocolate chip ice cream, but the chocolate in stracciatella should turn out to be less chunky and more evenly distributed to produce a smooth, delicately crunchy texture.
The effect is produced by drizzling melted chocolate into plain milk ice cream towards the end of the churning process; chocolate solidifies immediately coming in contact with the cold ice cream, and is then broken up and incorporated into the ice cream with a spatula. This process creates the shreds of chocolate that give stracciatella its name. While traditionally flavoured with milk ice cream and milk chocolate, modern variations can also be made with vanilla and dark chocolate.
The flavour was created in 1962 by Enrico Panattoni, the owner of La Marianna, a gelateria in Bergamo in northern Italy. According to Panattoni, the idea came to him after he had grown tired of stirring eggs into broth to satisfy customers of his restaurant who kept asking for stracciatella soup.
