The twelfth edition of the european artisanal gelato day begins, celebrated every year on march 24. Belgium takes center stage, dedicating the flavor of the year to one of its most distinctive and appreciated sweets. The announcement was made at the 63rd mig exhibition in longarone, where the winners of the 2023 video contest organized by artglace were proclaimed, and two new challenges were launched for the best european gelato makers.
The twelfth edition of the European Artisanal Gelato Day, still the only one dedicated to a food item by the European Parliament, officially inaugurates the season of one of the most beloved sweets in the world every year on March 24. An unmissable event for dessert enthusiasts of all ages in Europe (and beyond), as well as an important opportunity to narrate and promote artisanal knowledge, always an expression of quality, authenticity, and territorial identity, and to support the high-quality productions of traditional Italian artisanal Gelato.
FLAVOR OF THE YEAR 2024. Each edition of Gelato Day has a protagonist: the Flavor of the Year, selected annually by a different European country. After last year’s “Apfelstrudel” chosen by Austria, the Flavor of the Year 2024 will be “Gaufre de Liège,” chosen by Belgium to pay homage to one of its most characteristic and appreciated sweets. The gaufre, a sweet crispy waffle on the outside and soft on the inside, similar to a waffle, originated in the Middle Ages and quickly gained popularity, becoming the typical dessert of Candlemas and a symbol of good luck. Initially made with honey, it was later replaced by sugar. Tradition has it that, on the occasion of the marriage of the daughter of the Prince of the city of Liège, the court pastry chef proposed the gaufre as a dessert, the emblem of the city, using sugar, a real novelty of that time, instead of honey, achieving success that still echoes throughout Belgium today.
Therefore, the ancient “Gaufre de Liège” will be the undisputed protagonist as the Flavor of the Year 2024: it is a neutral base gelato flavored with vanilla and cinnamon, variegated with salted butter and accompanied by a Liège waffle, which on March 24 will be offered in all gelato shops participating in Gelato Day, in its “original” version, according to the official recipe, or creatively revisited by master gelato makers throughout Europe using ingredients and inspirations from their territory.
GELATO DAY AT THE 63RD MIG IN LONGARONE. The first appointment with the 2024 edition of Gelato Day at the 63rd MIG – International Artisanal Gelato Show, taking place at Longarone Fiere Dolomiti until November 29, where you can taste the Flavor of the Year in preview and discover the secrets of the sixteenth-century recipe for Gaufre de Liège. Moreover, Artglace announced the winners of the third edition of the video contest that tested gelato makers from all over Europe in recent months, with numerous contributions from across the Old Continent. The gelato artisans competed in creating a video telling, with flair and creativity, the making of “Apfelstrudel,” the Flavor of the Year 2023. The first place was awarded to the artisanal and natural gelateria “Burrocacao” in Imola, owned by the Manara twins, Elisa and Giulia. Tied for second place were Gelateria Perlecò in Alassio, Tenuta Chirico in Ascea (Salerno), and Gelateria Mil Sabores in Pontenure (Piacenza). Tied for third place were L’Arte del Gelato in Anzio Colonia (RM) and La Sorbettiera in Florence. The technical jury, composed of five members selected from professionals and experts in the artisanal gelato sector, judged the videos based on four parameters: the originality of the presentation, video quality, illustration of the production process of the “Apfelstrudel” flavor, and the aesthetics and decoration of the tub. The winners will be awarded at the next edition of SIGEP – The Dolce World Expo scheduled from January 20 to 24, 2024, at the Rimini Exhibition Center.
CONTESTS IN 2024. Also from the MIG in Longarone Fiere Dolomiti, Artglace has launched the new “Gelato D’Autore” competition, in which Italian gelato makers will compete on January 22, 2024, at the Artglace stand at SIGEP in Rimini (free registration, all information and the complete regulation will be available from December 15 on the website www.gelato-day.com). Finally, a new edition of the video contest for Gelato Day 2024 has been confirmed, which, from February 1 to October 30, 2024, will take cameras into the laboratories of gelato makers throughout Europe, calling them to interpret and tell the story of the Flavor of the Year.
“Despite 2023 being a year of ups and downs, with new challenges and a long summer season, our gelato makers continue to demonstrate great resilience and an inexhaustible desire to create and test themselves: it is thanks to them that we can now optimistically raise the curtain on the new edition of the European Artisanal Gelato Day,” comments Domenico Belmonte, president of Artglace. “We invite all gelato makers in Europe to join us in this new edition that sees Belgium as the protagonist, to promote and celebrate, united as always, the entire quality of artisanal gelato.”
All updates on the twelfth edition of Gelato Day are available on the website www.gelato-day.com and on the official Gelato Day pages on Facebook (@24MarzoEuropeanGelatoDay), Instagram (@Gelato_Day), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/GelatoDay).
All gelato shops in Italy and Europe are invited to participate in the 2024 edition of Gelato Day by registering on the website www.gelato-day.com and reporting all initiatives planned for March 24, 2024.