Artisan ice cream
What artisan ice cream means, how to spot a good one in the display case, how ice cream shops make it and what the regulations say about it.
Artisan ice cream
What is artisan ice cream
The word “artigianale” sounds like a promise of quality, yet it has no legal definition even in Italy. What it really means – and what it doesn’t.
How to spot good ice cream in the display case
Colours, the height of the mounds, covered tubs, the ingredient list and a seasonal menu — what to look for when choosing an ice cream shop.
Gelato, soft serve and cream ice cream: what’s the difference
Scooped, soft serve, cream, milk or sorbet — what the names mean in Slovakia and Czechia, and how they differ in production, serving temperature and composition.
How ice cream shops make their ice cream
From pasteurising and ageing the mix through the batch freezer to the display case: which steps and temperatures the regulations require, and why.
Ice cream competitions and awards
Gelato Festival World Masters, the Gelato World Cup and the Sigep trade fair — which competitions exist and how ice cream makers from Central Europe fare in them.
Ice cream regulations and inspections in Slovakia and Czechia
What the Slovak Decree No. 82/2018 Z. z. and the Czech Decree No. 397/2016 Sb. require, who inspects ice cream shops and what inspections found in 2020–2025.
Ice cream consumption in numbers
How much ice cream the EU produces, how much Czechs and Slovaks eat, and why litres and kilograms can’t simply be compared.
History
A short history of ice cream
From drinks chilled with ice through Italian ice cream makers to Eskymo and Polárka — what we know for certain about the history of ice cream.