09/02/2026
How Can You Tell If Gelato Is Truly Authentic?
Authentic Italian gelato isn’t simply ice cream with an Italian name. 🍨🇮🇹
Creating exceptional gelato takes knowledge, patience, quality raw ingredients, specialized equipment and a careful balance of every recipe. So how can you tell when you're getting the real thing rather than a mass-produced premix? 70% of all gelato shops sell premix, which is not the real thing!
👀 LOOK AT THE COLOURS
Real gelato generally has natural, muted colours. Pistachio shouldn't be neon green, bananas shouldn't be bright yellow, and no crazy neon colors 🤢
🏔️ LOOK AT THE DISPLAY CASE
Be suspicious of mountains of gelato piled high above metal pans in a display case - classic fake mix substitute gelato. True, traditional authentic artisan gelato is always stored at controlled temperatures in an Italian Pozzetti cooler.
🥛 CHECK THE INGREDIENTS
Quality artisan gelato can be made from ingredients such as fresh milk and cream, real fruit, nuts, chocolate, sugars and carefully selected natural ingredients, not simply a powdered base mixed with water.
🍨 CHECK THE TEXTURE
Great gelato should be smooth, creamy and dense, not icy, fluffy or filled with excessive air.
🌡️ NOTICE HOW IT MELTS
Gelato is traditionally served warmer than hard ice cream, which helps give it that wonderfully soft, silky texture and allows the flavours to shine.
👨🍳 ASK WHO MAKES IT
One of the easiest questions is simply: “Do you make your gelato here?” A true artisan gelateria should be proud to tell you how its gelato is made.
🇮🇹 Real ingredients. Real craftsmanship. Real Italian gelato, and in 2027, we can't wait to bring that experience to the Charlottetown waterfront at Michelangelo’s. ❤️🤍💚 Authentic Italian gelato is coming to the Cove. 🍨🌊
