In Search of Lost Words

Zoe Fairtlough

A reflection on family legacies and the search for purpose, threaded through with the origins of Italian gelato and the etymology of related words.

Gelato

Zoe Fairtlough

Arturo would never fulfil his dream of establishing his own construction business, and he’d speak wistfully of the holiday village he had built in the Sila mountains of Calabria, where the handsome Swiss-style hotel and chalets can still be found, ensconced among black pines and beech.

Larìn

Zoe Fairtlough

The electric churn on the counter wooshes like a heartbeat on an ultrasound. It’s not a great churn, but the vaniglia ice cream it makes is almost as good as my grandmother’s.

Zancola

Zoe Fairtlough

The online recipe calls for vanilla extract but no egg yolks, and substitutes half the (cold) milk for double cream, which (in my opinion) results in a thin flavour and tacky texture.