March 24th marks a very important day in the ice cream calendar – Gelato Day. Falling on a Wednesday, it’s celebrated throughout Europe and marks the official start of the gelato season. 2021 is the ninth year of the event, which promotes artisanal craftsmanship, and this year it is celebrating the country of Spain.
Businesses selling gelato in the UK are being encouraged to get involved and use Gelato Day to promote their products. You could maybe use the day to promote new flavours – or create a special offer just for that day. As Spain is the focal country this year, why not try making the Flavour of the Year (see below), or another Spanish favourite, Turron gelato. Turron is a popular soft Spanish nougat made mostly from almonds which, when combined with Malaga wine (or sweet sherry), makes delicious gelato.
You could also invest in some small Spanish flags to decorate your creations. Use social media to highlight what you’re up to.
Did you know? Gelato Day is the only date that the European Parliament has chosen to dedicate to a food product.
Flavour of the Year 2021
A recurring feature of Gelato Day is the “Flavour of the Year”, which is selected each year by a different European nation and sold on March 24th in all participating gelato and ice cream parlours.
This year’s flavour is Mantecado, and has been selected by Spain. Created using a traditional vanilla cream as its base, Mantecado features orange marbling and is topped with shavings of dark chocolate, making it the ideal representation of the culinary traditions of a country that has been at the crossroads of culture and cuisine for centuries. In fact, vanilla owes its name to the Spanish Conquistadors, and it was the Spanish who first brought chocolate to Europe. Spain is also Europe’s leading producer of oranges (with 3.4 million metric tons harvested in 2019).
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