Tartufo facts for kids
Tartufo is a yummy Italian dessert. It's made from gelato, which is like a super creamy ice cream. This special treat comes from a town called Pizzo in Calabria, Italy.
A Tartufo looks like a ball and usually has two or more different flavors of gelato mixed together. Often, there's a surprise inside! The original recipe has melted chocolate in the middle. Sometimes, you might find fruit syrup or frozen fruits like raspberry, strawberry, or cherry instead.
The outside of a Tartufo is often covered in a shell of chocolate or cocoa powder. But sometimes, people use cinnamon or crushed nuts to coat it.
Tartufo di Pizzo is extra special. It has a "protected geographical indication" in Italy. This means it's recognized as a unique food that must come from Pizzo. It's known for its chocolate and hazelnut gelato balls, filled with warm chocolate sauce, and dusted with cocoa powder.
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How Tartufo Began
The story of Tartufo starts in 1946 in Pizzo, Italy. A talented dessert maker named Dante Veronelli took over a place called Gran Bar Excelsior. He soon changed its name to Bar Dante.
Veronelli had a young helper named Giuseppe De Maria, also known as Don Pippo. Don Pippo was very good at making desserts. Together, they made delicious treats that everyone loved.
The Accidental Creation
The Tartufo dessert, as we know it today, was actually created by chance around 1952 at Bar Dante. There was a big wedding in Pizzo, and Don Pippo needed to make a lot of gelato for the guests. But he ran out of the special molds he used to shape the gelato!
To solve the problem, Don Pippo got creative. He took small amounts of hazelnut gelato and chocolate gelato in his hand. Then, he added a little bit of melted chocolate in the middle. He wrapped this whole creation in sugar paper to give it its round shape. After that, he let it cool down.
This new dessert was a huge hit! Everyone loved it, and it made Don Pippo famous. The original recipe for this special Tartufo is still a secret, passed down through Don Pippo's family.
Continuing the Tradition
Later, in 1950, two brothers named Giorgio and Gaetano Di Iorgi started working at the gelato shop. They learned how to make gelato from the masters. Years later, Giorgio took over Bar Dante. Gaetano continued making Tartufo di Pizzo at another shop called Bar Ercole, which he bought with his brother Antonio in 1965.
Even today, the families of Bar Dante and Bar Ercole keep the tradition alive. They pass down the secret recipes for their amazing gelato products from one generation to the next.
How Tartufo Is Made
Making a Tartufo usually involves two different flavors of gelato. These are carefully shaped together by hand to form a ball.
Adding the Center
If the Tartufo will have fruit in the middle, a little bit of gelato might be scooped out from the center. Then, the fruit is placed inside. Sometimes, fruit syrup is used to stick the two scoops of gelato together.
Creating the Shell
For a chocolate shell, special chocolate is melted. Once it's cooled a bit but still warm, the gelato ball is either dipped into it or the chocolate is poured over it. Then, the Tartufo is frozen. Sometimes, it's simply rolled in the melted chocolate.
If the shell is cinnamon or cocoa, the gelato ball is rolled in the powder before it's frozen. If nuts are used, larger nuts are often placed on by hand. Smaller nuts can be rolled onto the surface. Sometimes, round molds are used to help get a perfect shape.
