TAIPEI, Sept 23 — Would ice cream by any other name taste as sweet?
Gelatieri (Italian ice cream makers) would reply in the negative: no, not all ice creams are made equal. In a world populated by sorbets and sherbets, semifreddos and shaved ice, soft serves and frozen yoghurt, the gelato is the (ice) cream that rises to the top.
Gelato, which means “frozen” in Italian, has a very basic recipe of milk, cream, sugar and flavouring. Where it differs from conventional ice cream is in its low butterfat content; typically less than 10 per cent whereas commercial brands can go to almost 20 per cent. Paradoxically, the lower fat content means we taste more of the flavour rather than the dairy.
Yes, a scoop of gelato tastes richer, denser and more intense... because it’s lighter.
I recall my first gelato many years ago in Venice. It was a crisp April morning, very early. The tourist hordes had yet to descend. Yet, almost impossibly, there was a gelateria already open.
A rainbow of flavours beckoned me and my friends: bacio (hazelnut), zabaione (Marsala wine-tinged custard), caffè (coffee), limone (lemon), malaga (rum and raisins), amarena (milk blended with sour cherries) and, of course, the classic trinity of vaniglia (vanilla), cioccolato (chocolate) and fragola (strawberry).
I asked for the stracciatella, basically fior di latte (creamy milk ice cream) studded with veins of chocolate. A safe choice, perhaps, but milk and chocolate had never tasted this good together. Even as I savoured it, I knew this was a memory in the making, a happy one.
Who knew I’d make more happy memories years later in Taipei, a continent away, where I’d taste the instantly recognisable taste of great gelato, simultaneously rich yet light? A gelateria called 8% Ice, tucked away in the busy Yongkang Street, itself a destination for foodies with its abundance of restaurants.
Opened in 2013, the shop derives its name from the eight per cent butterfat content in gelato. Of course, as any Chinese would know, the number eight rings of luck and prosperity too.
The more visual amongst us may consider that the number also resembles two scoops of ice cream, one atop the other. However you choose to see it, it’s a fine name all but guaranteeing good business.
Indeed, the queue can be formidable — a line twisting out the door promising a half-hour wait or longer — when the weather is sweltering.
During cooler seasons, the crowds are smaller though ice cream isn’t a treat reserved for summer days only. There’s something thrilling about relishing a cold, creamy scoop when you can see your own breath.
And when it’s raining and dreary, what better than a gelato made from tropical fruits to remind you of sun, sand and sea?
The most popular flavours are the subtly sweet hojicha (roasted green tea) with honey and their rich matcha made with Kyoto-based Ippodo Tea Co.’s finest offerings.
Other flavours include black sesame, blackcurrant with rose, Earl Grey chocolate, French peach with rose water, espresso coffee and Marco Polo milk tea.
To ensure freshness, the flavours are constantly rotated, often with the inclusion of limited-edition flavours such as smoked chocolate with a trace of whiskey and chestnut pumpkin laced with Madagascar vanilla.
Besides gelato, 8% Ice also offers fruity sherbets (flavours such as lychee and pomelo are particular hits), fruit yoghurt popsicles and handmade soft-serve ice cream.
Much care goes into the preparation of each ingredient. For the black sesame gelato, the sesame seeds are toasted right before being ground. The result is a purer flavour, buttery and nutty without the acrid odour typical of products that aren’t fresh.
After getting our scoops, we have a choice of heading out again or to climb upstairs, where the classy interior features plenty of chic black furnishing. The décor is further bolstered by comfortable seating and shelves of cook books, most revolving around Italian cuisine. Perhaps a nod to the gelato’s country of origin.
Here’s a chance to linger with our gelato, perhaps a strong shot of espresso, and get lost between the pages of a book. There’s bound to be one that will return me to the gondolas and gelaterias of Venice.
The perfect gelato exists only when you are enjoying it, every lick a discovery. Till it’s all gone and only a memory to evoke over and over... till your next scoop, that is.
8% Ice
No. 6, Lane 13, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan
Open daily 12pm-10pm
Tel: +886 2 2395 6583
