Desserts around the world. Ice Cream

Let's discuss different desserts but not just discuss them, let's dissect them. See what's different in other parts of the world. In this new series we will take each dessert apart and find it's twins from other countries.

The first dessert I want to dissect is ice cream. What do we know ice cream to be? It is normally cold and sweet. Most ice cream uses milk and cream. Different flavorings and things like strawberries. This type of ice cream is well known around the United States. The type of "ice cream" is frozen yogurt. This dessert is a healthier version of ice cream because it uses yogurt instead of milk and cream.

Another frozen dessert that can be found in the US is sorbet. Sorbet is more like frozen fruits, it is also healthier than regular ice cream. A sorbet type of dessert is the "ice cream" of Iran. It is called faloodeh. It is flavored like sorbet but it is a pasta, that is flavored with lime and topped with pistachios. Although it is not made like ice cream, it is a frozen dessert that mimics ice cream.

From Italy we have the dessert most like ice cream, it is gelato. Gelato is made with milk and cream like ice cream but unlike ice cream it is more milky than creamy. Many it uses more milk than cream. To define ice cream it has to be 10% fat, gelato is only 5-7% fat. Another big difference between the two is gelato is held in a warm temperature than ice cream. Ice cream is kept at 0%, while gelato is kept at a warmer 15%. Gelato is more creamy.

Now some countries have desserts that resemble ice cream, one is halo halo. It is made like ice cream but it also uses purple yams and/ or boiled beans. It also has toppings like fruit and boba. It uses evaporated instead of whole milk. And condensed milk instead of cream. It can be bought in stores across the US at Jolibee. It is so different from what I know ice cream to be. Another dessert that is like ice cream but not is kulfi. It is known in India. It uses the same ingredients but you caramelize the milk by cooking it on low until it turns brown, making sure to keep stirring so you don't scorch your milk. Then you make the ice cream.

What do you think ice cream should be? In doing research for this blog, I found out just how versatile ice cream is. The only thing all of these desserts share is the fact that they are cold. I even found out that they are not all frozen at the same temp. Did you found out something new about ice cream?