What Is Spumoni And How Is It Different From Ice Cream?

If you grew up in an Italian household, you know that for birthdays, holidays, or any other celebration there was a pint or two of spumoni to enjoy. This traditional tri-colored Italian dessert has been an iconic frozen treat for over a century. Made with flavors of cherry, chocolate, and pistachio, a scoop of this creamy form of gelato boasts a rich history.

Spumoni comes from the Italian word spuma, which means foam and references its light texture. Spumoni is traditionally made from a gelato base with whipped cream and, once it's nice and fluffy, the maker typically adds in all manner of additions, which traditionally includes fruits, nuts, and chocolate bits. The mix is then layered into molds and chilled. Once properly cold, the spumoni is then cut and served like slices of layered cake. 

And, yes, there is a difference between ice cream and gelato that comes into play here. While ice cream uses more cream and eggs and requires a relatively faster churning process, spumoni uses more milk and is churned at a much slower pace to get that lighter, creamier texture. Another key difference between ice cream and gelato is that in order to get that perfect spumoni texture, fluffy whipped cream is folded into the mix. It's so key that sometimes whipped cream is found at the center of this rich layered dessert.

Spumoni is said to have originated in Naples, Italy. It then made it across the Atlantic when Italian immigrants brought their spumoni recipes to the United States in the early 20th century. It's said that the original spumoni recipe comes from Salvatorre Lezza who brought the family recipe to the west side of Chicago. Today, when shopping in the grocery store, you'll most likely see spumoni labeled as ice cream but you can order from the Lezza company if you wish to get something with real authenticity. With over a hundred years under their belt, this family has preserved its way of creating what many deem to be the perfect pint of spumoni.

However, as with so many culinary traditions that found their way to the U.S., spumoni was Americanized, this time transforming into another popular frozen dessert: Neapolitan ice cream. In the new treat, cherry was swapped for strawberry, vanilla took the place of pistachio (though chocolate remained), and the classic mix-ins were removed to accommodate for American tastes and the more widely available flavors. However, the Neapolitan name remained to harken back to spumoni's origins in Naples.