How traditional Italian gelato is made using a 180-year-old recipe

• In the small Italian town of Ruvo di Puglia, siblings Giuliana and Vincenzo Paparella carry on a 180-year-old family tradition.
• Their gelato is made with only three ingredients: milk, sugar, and eggs.
• It all started in 1840 when Uncle Luigi brought the art of gelato making from the royal courts of Naples to his hometown, Ruvo.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Claudia Romeo: We are in Ruvo di Puglia, Italy, and today I'm going to meet with Vincenzo and Giuliana, who make some of the most exquisite gelato in the country. Their story is as rich as the one of their hometown, Ruvo, that is renowned for its architecture and rich craftsmanship. For the two siblings, it's all about keeping the craft of gelato making alive. And the best way to do that is to take your family recipe from 1840 and never changing it. Let's go find out more. This is a story of how one family took gelato to a small southern Italian town 180 years ago and gave it a home. The family recipe calls for only three ingredients:

Giuliana Paparella: Milk, sugar, and eggs. But then every flavor has a different composition of ingredients. Sometimes there are more eggs, less eggs, more sugar, less sugar. Always based on the same quantity of milk.

Claudia: Gelato at Mokambo has been made this way since... well, since 1840. It's all thanks to Uncle Luigi, who brought the art of gelato making from the royal courts of Naples to his hometown, Ruvo, which has been synonymous with gelato ever since.

Giuliana: Actually, today I will also make you work a bit.

Claudia: All right, then. I have to roll up my sleeves. OK, but what do I have to do? I have to stir.

Giuliana: Mix sugar and eggs perfectly together. It's easy now, I tell you.

Claudia: Like so? OK, let's add more sugar. What do you think? Here -

Giuliana: Claudia's arm is going to fall off soon.

Claudia: No, but...I was not prepared.

Claudia: The original 1840 recipe, which is called the King's Cream, has been joined by seven other flavors: pistachio, almond, chocolate, quince, nougat, gianduia, and hazelnut. All ingredients are seasonal, and that is why your go-to winter flavor here would never be, say, strawberry, but almond. This flavor in particular is made with a homemade almond butter, which is actually grinding before our eyes as we speak.

Giuliana: This is a local almond. So, we're in Ruvo, we're in Puglia. Land of oil, wine, and, most of all, almonds. This is actually one of the best varieties, a Genco. It's very fragrant.

Claudia: I can smell it.

Giuliana: This one in particular is a production that we started yesterday morning. So it's been around 24 hours, and to reach the right consistency we should wait for around 45 hours of grinding.

Claudia: Wow.

Giuliana: Let's say, now we are going to make it with a coarser paste. As a matter of fact, the gelato that we will be tasting will have a more traditional texture, with a pronounced roughness. But this is also the beauty, we could say, of seeing the various grain sizes during the grinding. You can see the grains of the almonds a bit.

Giuliana: Taste it. You tell me.

Claudia: Let's go. I adore it. It's amazing.

Giuliana: This is a 100% natural product. You're really eating almond juice, essentially.

Claudia: Yes, yes. You can feel the grains, but not too much. This grinder hypnotizes you.

Giuliana: Get back to work.

Claudia: No!

Claudia: We're now finally adding that third and final ingredient, milk.

Claudia: Oh, OK. We soften the mixture a bit now. So, for every flavor, you have to work -

Giuliana: Every flavor has its pot. The recipe of the King's Cream has, in particular, a secret bouquet of aromas and spices. We've been passing it down in the family for 120 years. So this is also one of the reasons why I could not -

Claudia: We're not making that flavor today.

Giuliana: We're not making that flavor. But we are making something typically local, using a local almond.

Claudia: But we are not finished yet. First, we need to cook it. And if you think that you could just skip this step, please keep watching. Giuliana feels pretty strongly about it.

Claudia: Why is the cooking important?

Giuliana: So…you are Italian. It's like saying, "Open the tomato-sauce bottle and pour it on pasta." Let's say that losing water favors a better mix of flavors. You can't follow a recipe where you take it, you mix it all together, and you freeze it. It doesn't make sense.

Claudia: How long will you cook it for?

Giuliana: The time it takes, around 10 minutes.

Claudia: It's now time to pour our cooked mixture in the gelato machine, which will freeze the cream and transform it into gelato.

Claudia: But these gelato machines, I've always seen them horizontal, not vertical.

Giuliana: Yes.

Claudia: What is so special about this machine here?

Giuliana: So, you actually said it yourself. The cooling basket is placed vertically. This machine uses an ancient method, actually. This one in particular is around 50 years old, so it's very dear to us. It's a '29 patent. There's actually only one company in the world - I mean, "in the world," in Italy, most of all. This company here doesn't make it anymore. But keep in mind that this type of mixture only works in this type of machine. If I add it into a horizontal machine, you will get a different effect. It would not whip as it should. So this is the best system, basically. Which actually simulates what used to be done by hand. So an ancient machine for an ancient gelato.

Claudia: You may have been watching this for only a few minutes, but it actually took us five hours to make only one flavor. And while I feel for Giuliana having to do this eight times every day for each flavor, I can't wait to taste the one I worked for today. So let's get to it. Will I be transported to 1840 with this gelato?

Giuliana: Now I am going to let you taste the one you worked for today.

Claudia: Yes, and the look as well. It looks like a custard. It looks more uniform.

Vincenzo: It's good.

Giuliana: Claudia, I could hire you, you know.

Vincenzo: Claudia, you passed. You're hired.

Claudia: It's good. It reminds me of - a bit of a romantic memory now. But it reminds me of when my brother and me, in the countryside, would go and crush almonds with rocks.

Vincenzo: Exactly that.

Claudia: You know what I just said about making one flavor taking five hours? Well, this tasting part was no joke either. Giuliana and Vincenzo are very serious about letting me taste every single flavor. Giuliana keeps scooping some more gelato for me. And a special mention goes to...

Claudia: Is this one pistachio?

Giuliana: Taste it.

[Vincenzo laughs]

Claudia: This is so good.

Giuliana: What is it?

Claudia: It doesn't taste like pistachio gelato, it's pistachio cream.

Claudia: I really thought we ended with a bang with pistachio, which I loved, but I may have a new favorite after all: the King's Scepter. This one takes three days to make and is made from Iranian saffron. Giuliana serves it in a cone filled with cream and pistachio paste. She then covers the gelato with some more cream and gold leaves.

Claudia: Wow. I don't think I've ever eaten a gelato with this flavor. It's really good. Congratulations. I haven't made this one. Oops. Sorry.

Giuliana: No worries.

Claudia: It's all melting!