The Origins of Spaghetti Eis
Did you know that over 30 million cups of spaghetti eis are sold annually in Germany? Spaghetti ice cream is a hugely popular novelty dish that is fun for the whole family. The reach of spaghetti eis has expanded well beyond Germany. Images and recipes of the dish have spread quickly as a result of social media, turning spaghetti eis into an international sensation. Here are the basics about what it is, who created it, where it originated, and how to make it.
What is Spaghetti Eis?
Spaghetti eis is ice cream that resembles spaghetti. Vanilla ice cream in the shape of spaghetti gets layered on top of whipped cream. The spaghetti ice cream gets covered with a strawberry sauce resembling tomato sauce. The final component is the “Parmesan cheese” which is made up of shavings of white chocolate. There are variations on the ingredients to replicate other spaghetti dishes, but this is the original, classic, and most common version.
Who Created Spaghetti Eis? Where Was Spaghetti Eis First Served?
Spaghetti eis was created by Dario Fontanella in the late 1960s in Mannheim, Germany. He wanted to use his mastery of gelato to create a dish that would honour his Italian heritage. He has served the dish to his kids. The spaghetti eis looked so realistic that his kids started to cry because they were disappointed to see a plate of spaghetti instead of ice cream. They were delighted when they discovered their dessert was a special kind of ice cream sundae. Now, spaghetti eis is served across ice cream shops, hotels, and restaurants in Germany and around the world.
Dario Fontanella’s family has a long history of expertise in making gelato. His grandfather, Michelangelo Fontanella founded the Gelateria Pasticceria Fontanella in 1906 in northern Italy. Michelangelo Fontanella’s son, Mario Fontanella, was his apprentice. Mario and his brother moved to Germany in 1931 to open up their own gelateria. Mario met Renate Lehmann and had four children, one of whom was Dario. Dario officially joined the family business in 1970 and took over in 1985.
In 2014, Dario Fontanella received the “Bloomaulorden” medal from the city of Mannheim in honour of his innovation and creativity. Dario Fontanella operates Eis Fontanella, which includes multiple cafés, a factory for packaged products, and ice cream trucks.
How Do You Make Spaghetti Eis?
To make spaghetti eis, there are multiple layers. The first layer is the whipped cream. A spiral of whipped cream gets dispensed to the bottom of a bowl. Then, vanilla ice cream is pressed through a Spätzle press or potato ricer to replicate spaghetti. It is important that the tool used, whether a press or ricer, is extremely cold to prevent the ice cream from melting. Keeping the plate or bowl you are serving this on cold too will help preserve the texture. You might need to let your ice cream rest for a few moments. If it’s frozen completely solid, it will be difficult to extrude it through the press or ricer. Next, a few scoops of strawberry sauce or syrup get ladled on top of the spaghetti eis. If you want to make this from scratch, we recommend diced strawberries and abit of orange juice through the blender. Lastly, the dessert gets sprinkled with shavings of white chocolate, coconut flakes, or almonds. Classically, Dario Fontanella uses white chocolate.
If you want to learn how we make our spaghetti eis here at spaghetti eis co., make sure to check out our spaghetti eis recipe here.
A few variations of the dish exist. One version is Spaghetti Eis Carbonara. Eggnog or vanilla cream sauce are used to replace the strawberry sauce. Spaghetti Eis Bolognese is made with dark caramel or chocolate sauce, as well as mixed nuts for a meaty appearance. There are also variations that don’t necessarily resemble specific spaghetti recipes, but feature chocolate ice cream, tropical fruits, or various sauces.
Spaghetti eis tastes just like a normal ice cream sundae. The texture is a little softer after the ice cream gets extruded through the press. When you scoop up a bite with your spoon, there’s a lot less resistance compared to regular ice cream. You need to enjoy it quickly! It is more prone to melting.
All the fun of spaghetti eis comes from the appearance! The classic version with strawberry sauce and white chocolate does look shockingly similar to a bowl of spaghetti with marinara.
Is There a Spaghetti Eis Patent or Trademark?
No! Spaghetti eis is not patented nor is it trademarked. This is why many ice cream parlours across Germany were quick to offer their versions of the dish after Dario Fontanella introduced it to the world. Now, the dish has international reach as well, although it is much less typical on menus around the world.
That said, spaghetti eis is easy to make at home as long as you have a Spätzle press or a Spaghetti Co. potato ricer at your disposal as well as high quality ingredients.