Italian Lesson Incoming: Top Gelato Flavors

Forget the all-American ice cream buffet for a moment. We're taking a side trip to Italy, friends! Break out your tasting spoons, we're delving into gelato cups full of the authentic flavors of this Italian family treat. But wait -- do you know how to even pronounce these flavors? We'll introduce you.

1. Cioccolato (cho-co-LAH-to): Rich, classic chocolate. Does it sound familiar now? You can't go wrong with this essential flavor.

1. Bacio (BA-cho): it means 'kiss' in English. Not TOO sweet, now. A 'kiss' of hazelnut, hazelnut praline, and chocolate make this nutty, indulgent flavor just melt in your mouth.

1. Pesca (PESS-kuh): Pesca means 'peach'! This peachy little flavor is simple and sweet as can be. One of the best parts of authentic gelato? It uses much less sugar than most American frozen treats like ice cream. That way, complex and naturally sweet flavors like fresh peach can really shine.

1. Vaniglia (vah-NEEL-yuh): Vanilla gelato. Funny enough, vanilla-flavored ice cream is by far the most popular flavor in America (28% of consumers prefer vanilla according to the International Ice Cream Association), but vanilla gelato is actually pretty uncommon in Italy. That may be because they have more popular creamy flavors that are more subtle than vanilla, such as 'crema' and 'fior di latte'.

1. Stracciatella (straw-kee-uh-TELL-la): This actually refers to a chocolate chip ice cream. It's a little less sugary-sweet than the chocolate chip ice cream Americans are used to. Stracciatella usually has a delicate vanilla base with slivers or small chunks of chocolate mixed in. Careful seeing this on menus in Italy! 'Stracciatella' can also refer to a kind of soup.

1. Frutti di bosco (FROOT-tee dee BUS-sco): In English, this flavor's name means "Fruit of the Forest". As you might guess from the name, it's made using a mix of forest berries found easily in Italy such as strawberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries. The sour-sweet fruit make this one really indulgent and lovely with a drizzle of dark chocolate.

How are those sitting on your tongue? Kind of want to taste the gelato now instead of trying to say their names? Luckily even American retailers are trying to sell authentic Italian-style gelato. Grab some gelato cups, those special flattened gelato spoons, and a big bucket of 'cioccolato' and you're ready to share with friends and family Italian-style.