Two Locations:

Sirena Gelato
Fairhaven, WA
360.733.6700

Sirena Gelato
Bellis Fair Mall
in Food Court
(next to movie theater)
360.738.4895

A Short History of Gelato

Today, Gelato is a universal delight for everyone. We invite you to visit our Sirena Gelato in Barkley Village off Barkley Boulevard, and our Sirena Gelato in Fairhaven on the south side of Bellingham, Washington.

History suggests that human beings have for centuries been inventive enough to create the coolest and most refreshing drinks for the hottest seasons — simply by using fruits, flavors, and if possible, ice or snow.

Charles Panati, author of the book “Extra Ordinary Origins of Everyday Things,” attributes to the Chinese a 4000 year-old recipe based on well-cooked rice mixed with milk and other ingredients and then buried in snow. Similar methods were used with fruit juice to create cold desserts. Such techniques also were found throughout the Far East, Middle East, and Europe. Roll your cursor over photo.

Gelato can be linked to so many sources that to cover all of them would be impossible. Therefore we will credit the invention of this “sweet guilt” to every contributor from the Far East to the farthest West. We know that Gelato was created in Italy in the far North by the people of Dolomite, and in the far South by Sicilians.

In Dolomite the Gelato was made with milk, cream, sugar, eggs, and natural flavors. Snow was stored in a deep cantina (basement) during the winter. The sale of Gelato was one of the major sources of income for the locals when folks were traveling through the Dolomite mountains during the warm months.

During this period Gelato was considered to be a rich-man’s dessert and few people could afford it. And, as a result of reduced travel in Dolomite during the winter, income was not sufficient for Gelato Artisans to support their families. So they a made seasonal migration to Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France to sell Gelato. Consequently, through many decades Italians were dominant in the business of milk-based Gelato in the Northern regions and neighboring countries.

In the far South, Gelato was lower in fat, predominantly water-based, slightly higher in sugar content and was called Sorbetto, known today as Sorbet. Similar conditions to the Dolomite region were used in the South, especially in Sicily where underground storage rooms, some as deep as 30 meters (more than 90 feet) were used to store compacted snow. Likewise, Sicilian Gelato Artisans would travel to the neighboring countries to sell their wonderful dessert.