Master of extraordinary ice creams

EBRU ERKE

Last week, I was at the Olive Oil Tasting Festival in Edremit, where we sampled various olive oils and even tried goat milk olive oil ice cream made by the Italian "ice cream philosopher," Marco Radicioni. Marco is a hero who is carrying gastronomy forward.

As soon as we got off the plane, everyone headed to their rooms to rest, but Elvan and Marco hurried off to a goat farm they had found while still in Italy. They had just arrived from Rome that day and had only gotten a few hours of sleep. About four or five hours later, they returned to where we were dining, carrying a jerry can of freshly milked goat’s milk. This was also the place where they would make ice cream. They looked tired but were thrilled, especially Marco, who appreciated the quality of the milk. We were all even more excited and curious about the extra virgin olive oil ice cream we would try the next day.

Elvan claims that Marco Radicioni is among the top three ice cream makers in Italy. Elvan Uysal Bottoni, who facilitated our introduction, is a gastronomy writer and sensory analyst based in Italy. She possesses one of the most refined palates I’ve ever encountered, and her ability to articulate the sensory qualities of food is both detailed and delightful. When Ahmet Çetin, the President of the Edremit Chamber of Commerce and a longtime friend, called to inform me about the Olive Oil Tasting Festival they were organizing, I immediately thought of Elvan. She is a taster for Gambero Rosso, Italy’s most reputable gastronomy guide, and is also an accredited expert in olive oil tasting.

These days, it feels like festivals are everywhere, with the same people and topics repeating, regardless of the event’s name. I’m really tired of these “entertainments,” which seem like a waste of food and drink and diminish the true meaning of a festival. So, I was genuinely happy to learn about a unique event focused on experiences. I humbly suggest that next year it could be renamed, perhaps to Olive Oil Tasting Days. It would be wonderful to explore and sample not only Edremit-type olive oils but also varieties from across the country in the Edremit Gulf Region, which includes places like Ayvalık, Edremit, Burhaniye, Gömeç, Güre, Altınoluk, and Küçükkuyu. In fact, if you check out Elvan’s article for us this week about different olive types and oils, you’ll see just how fascinating this topic is.

The sight of the tasting tables arranged in rows, adorned with olive leaves and completely packed with people, highlights the success of the effort. I want to congratulate Ahmet Çetin, and I am confident that in the future, they will address any technical shortcomings and elevate the event to a world-class tasting day — especially by bringing in many skilled professionals from abroad.

Let’s return to our ice cream. You might wonder, why olive oil ice cream? Well, it’s quite trendy right now to drizzle extra virgin olive oil over plain milk ice cream and add a pinch of salt. This isn’t just a social media phenomenon; for instance, some of the most popular tray pizzerias in Brooklyn are serving this as their only dessert option. And that’s not the single unconventional use for olive oil — I even saw it poured over coffee at Starbucks Reserve in New York this summer. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of it, but I do appreciate seeing olive oil explored in so many different ways.

Apparently, drizzling olive oil over creamy ice cream wouldn’t satisfy someone like Marco. That’s why he opted to make ice cream by blending fresh goat’s milk with Memecik olive oil which is known for its dominant taste. The result was a slightly phosphorescent green ice cream that opened up new flavor possibilities and reminded us not to be too traditional in our flavor pairings. Neither the goat’s milk nor the olive oil overshadowed the other; instead, their bold flavors harmonized beautifully rather than clashed. Marco also emphasizes his love for the unique texture that olive oil adds to ice cream, in addition to its taste.

Marco views ice cream as a culinary experience rather than just a treat. His parlor in Rome is named Otaleg, which is “gelato” spelled backward, symbolizing his aim to change how people perceive ice cream. Known as an “ice cream philosopher,” he crafts unique experiences centered around his creations. For instance, ingredients like mussels, a 40-month-aged parmesan, mustard, gorgonzola cheese, licorice and sage can take center stage in his ice creams, each contributing their flavor naturally.

Not everything in his parlor is as avant-garde as the previously mentioned items. Similar to a chef in a restaurant, he sources fresh ingredients daily from small producers, also occasionally incorporating Turkish pistachios. He formulates his recipes to deliver a frozen version that truly captures the essence of each ingredient while maintaining a great texture. He pasteurizes six liters of milk for the ice cream, repeating this process multiple times throughout the day. In summary, he’s a bit of a madman. It’s these types of visionaries who are the true legends and luminaries of gastronomy.