An Ice-Cold Iftar
Khaled Habib/Egypt Today
Food
schools close to the store, soon after came the sugar-hungry children, who then dragged the rest of the family along. Then came the reporters. Eight of them. A crew of Egypt Today reporters volunteered to put the much talked-about ice cream place through its paces — in the name of investigative journalism, of course.
In Search of a Scoop
An Ice-Cold Iftar
Get your summer sugar fix from Stavolta this Ramadan
By Farida Helmy
R
amadan in the summer is tough. August, when Ramadan begins this year, is one of the warmest months in Egypt — a month where most residents usually escape the city and its congestion to spend their days lounging by a beach or pool. This Ramadan, get the refreshing burst of energy you need from gelato. It may not be the typical Ramadan dessert, but it’s definitely the lightest and most effective way to mix summer with the holy month. Egypt Today believes there’s no better place to get your ice-cold sugar fix than Stavolta, a new gelato parlor that stands on one of the quiet streets of Maadi. With a colorful décor to attract customers and an open kitchen that enables them to see how the gelato is made, this hub for traditional Italian ice cream should be your
84
Egypt Today
August 2011
first stop post iftar. Stavolta owners Nisreen Shaker and Ahmed Amer choose to make their gelato dream a reality last Easter, when they realized that there was a lack of authentic Italian gelato available in Egypt. True Italian gelato, which literally means ice cream, has a richer flavor than normal ice cream because it contains more milk, which gives gelato that creamier, smoother texture. The gelato offered at Stavolta is always fresh, handmade in small batches and follows age-old Italian tradition, with the ingredients imported from Italy. To get it right, both owners went to an ice cream school in Italy and actually interned in a gelateria to make sure they would be presenting Cairenes with just the right blend. They didn’t even need to advertise when they opened their small shop, word of mouth did the magic for them. First came the teachers working in
First of all, come with an almost empty stomach. The generous proportions and creamy texture will fill you up — you can’t stop at just one scoop. With up to 40 flavors, 26 of which are on display at any given time, Stavolta offers a range from the traditional vanilla and chocolate to the more contemporary cheesecake to the oriental karkade and tamr hindi. Most flavors are like a rush, to both the mouth and the head. They’re almost overwhelming and overbearing, but they do the job at refreshing your taste buds. The fruit-infused flavors were favorites: zesty, powerful, tangy and bittersweet. It was like actually eating a frozen fruit — perfect after a heavy meal. The sweeter options such as the cheesecake, dolce vita, vanilla, caramel, dark chocolate and stavolta were much heavier and a little too sweet for our liking, but for those with a sweet tooth, this must be what creamy, candy heaven tastes like. The salted caramel is perfect for those who want something sweet without it being overpowering. Good for side orders with the sweet or fruity flavors are the milk, yogurt and custard flavors. The thin and crunchy cones garnered mixed approval: Some felt there was not enough flavor and others felt it worked better that way so as not to take away from the gelato flavors. With future plans to expand in other neighborhoods by early next year, Stavolta and its homemade gelato is perfect for a tasty dessert in this hot weather. And in case you were wondering, stavolta literally means “this time” — reflecting the owners’ justified confidence that we’ll be back to try more flavors. et Stavolta • 39, Rd. 231, Maadi • Tel: +2 (02) 2521-0065 • About LE 10 per scoop, toppings about LE 2.20 each. www.EgyptToday.com
Food
schools close to the store, soon after came the sugar-hungry children, who then dragged the rest of the family along. Then came the reporters. Eight of them. A crew of Egypt Today reporters volunteered to put the much talked-about ice cream place through its paces — in the name of investigative journalism, of course.
In Search of a Scoop
An Ice-Cold Iftar
Get your summer sugar fix from Stavolta this Ramadan
By Farida Helmy
R
amadan in the summer is tough. August, when Ramadan begins this year, is one of the warmest months in Egypt — a month where most residents usually escape the city and its congestion to spend their days lounging by a beach or pool. This Ramadan, get the refreshing burst of energy you need from gelato. It may not be the typical Ramadan dessert, but it’s definitely the lightest and most effective way to mix summer with the holy month. Egypt Today believes there’s no better place to get your ice-cold sugar fix than Stavolta, a new gelato parlor that stands on one of the quiet streets of Maadi. With a colorful décor to attract customers and an open kitchen that enables them to see how the gelato is made, this hub for traditional Italian ice cream should be your
84
Egypt Today
August 2011
first stop post iftar. Stavolta owners Nisreen Shaker and Ahmed Amer choose to make their gelato dream a reality last Easter, when they realized that there was a lack of authentic Italian gelato available in Egypt. True Italian gelato, which literally means ice cream, has a richer flavor than normal ice cream because it contains more milk, which gives gelato that creamier, smoother texture. The gelato offered at Stavolta is always fresh, handmade in small batches and follows age-old Italian tradition, with the ingredients imported from Italy. To get it right, both owners went to an ice cream school in Italy and actually interned in a gelateria to make sure they would be presenting Cairenes with just the right blend. They didn’t even need to advertise when they opened their small shop, word of mouth did the magic for them. First came the teachers working in
First of all, come with an almost empty stomach. The generous proportions and creamy texture will fill you up — you can’t stop at just one scoop. With up to 40 flavors, 26 of which are on display at any given time, Stavolta offers a range from the traditional vanilla and chocolate to the more contemporary cheesecake to the oriental karkade and tamr hindi. Most flavors are like a rush, to both the mouth and the head. They’re almost overwhelming and overbearing, but they do the job at refreshing your taste buds. The fruit-infused flavors were favorites: zesty, powerful, tangy and bittersweet. It was like actually eating a frozen fruit — perfect after a heavy meal. The sweeter options such as the cheesecake, dolce vita, vanilla, caramel, dark chocolate and stavolta were much heavier and a little too sweet for our liking, but for those with a sweet tooth, this must be what creamy, candy heaven tastes like. The salted caramel is perfect for those who want something sweet without it being overpowering. Good for side orders with the sweet or fruity flavors are the milk, yogurt and custard flavors. The thin and crunchy cones garnered mixed approval: Some felt there was not enough flavor and others felt it worked better that way so as not to take away from the gelato flavors. With future plans to expand in other neighborhoods by early next year, Stavolta and its homemade gelato is perfect for a tasty dessert in this hot weather. And in case you were wondering, stavolta literally means “this time” — reflecting the owners’ justified confidence that we’ll be back to try more flavors. et Stavolta • 39, Rd. 231, Maadi • Tel: +2 (02) 2521-0065 • About LE 10 per scoop, toppings about LE 2.20 each. www.EgyptToday.com
