Will the “Gaufre de Liège”, tribute to one of the most characteristic and appreciated ice creams in Belgium the flavor of the ice cream of the year 2024 to come made official on the occasion of the twelfth edition of the European Artisan Ice Cream Day, the only one dedicated to a food by the European Parliament, which the 24 March of each year officially inaugurates the season of one of the most loved desserts in the world. Each edition of Gelato Day has a protagonist: the Flavor of the Year, selected each year by a different European country. After last year's “Apfelstrudel” chosen by Austria, the Flavor of the Year 2024 was chosen by Belgium. The waffle, a sweet wafer crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, similar to the waffle, was born in the Middle Ages and immediately found rapid diffusion, becoming the typical Candlemas dessert and symbol of good luck.
The court pastry chef invented it for the wedding of the daughter of the Prince of the city of Liège
It was initially done with honey, then replaced by sugar: tradition dictates that, on the occasion of wedding of the daughter of the Prince of the city of Liège, the court pastry chef proposed the waffle, emblem of the city, as a dessert, using sugar, a real novelty of that time, instead of honey, achieving a success that still resonates throughout Belgium today. The ancient "Gaufre de Liège" will therefore be the undisputed protagonist as Taste of the Year 2024: it is a neutral base ice cream flavored with vanilla and cinnamon, variegated with salted butter and accompanied by a waffle wafer, which will be March 24th offered in all ice cream shops participating in Gelato Day, in its “original” version, according to the official recipe, or revisited with creativity by master ice cream makers in every part of Europe using ingredients and inspirations from their territory. First appointment with the 2024 edition of Gelato Day at the 63rd MIG - International Artisan Gelato Exhibition, underway at Longarone Fiere Dolomiti until 29 November, where it is possible to preview the Flavor of the Year and discover the secrets of the Gaufre recipe of Liège.
Neutral base ice cream flavored with vanilla and cinnamon, variegated with salted butter and accompanied by a waffle wafer
Artglace also proclaimed i winners of the third edition of the video contest which in recent months has put master ice cream makers from all over Europe to the test, with numerous contributions arriving from all over the Old Continent: the Ice cream artisans, in fact, tried their hand at making a video in which to tell, with flair and creativity, the creation of "Apfelstrudel", the Taste of the Year 2023. First place was won by the artisanal and natural ice cream shop "Burrocacao" from Imola owned by the twins Elisa and Giulia Manara. On the second step of the podium go ex-aequo Gelateria Perlecò from Alassio, Tenuta Chirico from Ascea (Salerno) and Gelateria Mil Sabores from Pontenure (Piacenza); L'Arte del Gelato from Anzio Colonia (RM) and La Sorbettiera from Florence finished in joint third place. The ranking was established by the technical jury, made up of five members chosen from professionals and experts in the artisanal ice cream supply chain, who evaluated the videos based on four parameters: originality of the presentation, quality of the video, illustration of the production process of the "Apfelstrudel" flavour. ”, finally aesthetics and decoration of the tray. The winners will be awarded at the next edition of SIGEP – The Dolce World Expo scheduled from 20 to 24 January 2024 at the Rimini Fair. Artglace also held the new “Gelato D'Autore” competition, which will see Italian ice cream makers compete on January 22, 2024 at the Artglace stand at SIGEP in Rimini. Finally, a new edition of the video contest for Gelato Day 2024 has been confirmed, which, from 1 February to 30 October 2024, will bring cameras into the laboratories of ice cream makers across Europe called to interpret and tell the story of the Flavor of the Year.
