Italian Pastries

Some people say that the Pretzel originated in Italy which are now in to America.

Panzerotti originated in central and southern Italy, especially in Apulia. The most common fillings are tomato and mozzarella, but spinach, mushrooms, baby corn, and ham can are often used. In America the word has come to be spelled "panzarotti", and are most commonly semi-circular shaped. It consists of a pocket of pizza dough filled with varous amounts of pizza fillings, which is then folded in half, sealed, and then deepfried.Italyproduced with a softer dough.

Cannoli: The versions with which Americans are most familiar tend to involve variations on the original concept. This is possibly due to adaptations made by Italians who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1900s and discovered limited availability of certain ingredients. Sometimes the filling is a simple custard of sugar, milk, and cornstarch. In either case, the cream is often flavored with vanilla or orange flower water and a light amount of cinnamon. Chopped pistachios, semi-sweet chocolate bits, and candied citrus peel or cherries are often still included, dotting the open ends of the pastry. In Italy The shell is a dough made of flour, butter, sugar and other ingredients. It is formed into an oval, wrapped around a dough ring and fried. The shells can be filled with creme by using a spoon or pastry bag.

Italian Ice Cream (Gelato)

Gelato is made with some of the same ingredients as most ice-creams around the world; milk (and cream), sugar (and other sweeteners), flavorings (fruits, nuts, essences, etc.) and air are the main ingredients. Unlike many types of ice cream, gelato often does not contain eggs. Gelato is typically made with fresh fruit or other ingredients such as chocolate (pure chocolate, flakes, chips, etc.), nuts, small confections or cookies, or biscuits. Gelato made with water and without dairy ingredients is known as sorbetto (also known as sorbet). Traditionally, milk-based gelato originated in northern Italy, while the fruit and water-based sorbetto came from the warmer parts of southern Italy.The History of gelato dates back to the 16th century. There is some confusion as to where or who really invented gelato.

In the UK, gelato is served from a different freezer from American-style ice cream — a forced-air freezer—which is usually held at about -15°C (5°F). This allows the gelato to be served immediately after being extruded from the gelato machine — the "forced air" blowing around holds the product at a consistent temperature. In Italy, gelato is typically served with a spoon out of a special freezing tray, ensuring a thicker, more flavorful consistency. Much of the gelato experience lies in its semi-frozen consistency; therefore, you might serve ice cream from a gelato freezer but you would not serve gelato from an ice-cream freezer as the gelato would become too frozen.

Other countries make ice creams similar to gelato. In Argentina, helado is made much the same way. In France (though usually slightly higher in fat) glace is a very similar product and, in fact, was introduced to France by Catherine de' Medici (of Florence).

credit to wikipedia.