Cornetto: From Italian Innovation to Global Ice Cream Icon

Cornetto, with its iconic Italian name, has become a beloved ice cream treat worldwide, but its origins are tied to a small Italian company and a major innovation in the frozen dessert industry. The Cornetto’s story began in 1976 when Spica, an ice cream company based in Naples, Italy, first introduced it. The product's innovation lay in its ability to maintain a crisp and crunchy texture, thanks to a chocolate coating inside the cone. This groundbreaking development helped preserve the cone’s freshness, setting Cornetto apart from other ice cream cones that often became soggy.

The product quickly gained popularity, particularly in Italy, due to its combination of creamy ice cream, a crunchy cone, and the indulgent chocolate layer. However, it was the acquisition of Spica by Unilever in 1985 that propelled Cornetto onto the global stage. Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company, was able to leverage its vast distribution network and marketing expertise to expand the reach of Cornetto beyond Europe. Through effective advertising campaigns, such as the famous "Cornetto ad" series, the brand became widely recognized and beloved across different continents.

Unilever's ability to continuously innovate with Cornetto, offering a wide range of flavors and limited-edition varieties, has kept the product relevant in a competitive market. From classic flavors like vanilla and chocolate to more adventurous options like caramel or strawberry cheesecake, Cornetto has catered to an expanding consumer base. Seasonal and themed offerings have also contributed to its ongoing appeal. In recent years, Cornetto has introduced a line of "mini" Cornettos and plant-based options to cater to the growing demand for smaller portions and dairy-free products.

Today, Cornetto remains one of the most popular ice cream brands globally, and its success is due to both its unique product design and Unilever’s strategic marketing and innovation. The combination of tradition and innovation has allowed Cornetto to remain a top choice for ice cream lovers, maintaining its position in a constantly evolving market while continuing to delight consumers worldwide with its perfect blend of creamy, crunchy, and chocolaty indulgence.
Cornetto: From Italian Innovation to Global Ice Cream Icon

Espresso - coffee-brewing method of Italian origin

Espresso is a process of brewing coffee and is made by forcing high-pressured hot water through very finely ground coffee beans.

In 1884, Angelo Moriondo submits a patent for the first machine to brew large batches of coffee using steam and water. It held a name of "New steam machinery for the economic and instantaneous confection of coffee beverage, method 'A. Moriondo”. Moriondo’s machine was never produced commercially and no examples survive.

The espresso was invented by Milanese inventor, back in the early 20th century. The drink was created by businessman Luigi Bezzera who was experimenting with coffee to see how he could make his brew faster. He patented an improved espresso machine in 1901

The name "caffé espresso" translates to "pressed out coffee", referring to the water being pushed through the finely ground coffee at a very high pressure.

In 1903, he owned a manufacturing business, and it was frustrating him that making a cup of coffee would take up so much time. Later, he discovered that adding steam pressure to the machine not only cut the time it took to create the brew, but it also created a much stronger drink.

In 1905, Bezzera’s patent was bought by a Desidero Pavoni who started to produce espresso machines and founding “La Pavoni” company. He commercialized the world’s first espresso machine.

Espresso makes its debut at the 1906 World’s Fair in Milano. Luigi Bezzera and Desidero Pavoni have taken Moriondo’s idea and created a machine with a vertical boiler that brews a single cup of coffee in seconds. It is the first time people experience coffee made expressly for them: espresso.

The first espresso machine was installed in the United States in 1927. It was a "La Pavoni" machine and was installed at Reggio's in New York. By the 1940s, the process of making espresso had been properly fine-tuned, creating the espresso known and used cross the world.
Espresso - coffee-brewing method of Italian origin

History of pepperoni

Pepperoni, a small, firm, spicy salami, well known to American pizza lovers, is unknown in Italy but it may be added to affettato if desired.

The origin of fermented sausages can be traced back with accuracy to 1730, when salami was first mentioned in Italy. Although it was inspired by spicy Italian salami, the sausage of pepperoni is an Italo-American invention dating back to the 1930s.

The word ‘pepperoni’ originated from peperone ‘cayenne pepper plant’. Pizza makers found that manual peeling and slicing of pepperoni was expensive because of the labor involved – and because of the injuries.

Better safety and easier slicing were facilitated, first by the invention of slicing machines for pepperoni in the late 1960s and then by the development of edible protein films to replace the traditional pigs casing.

Pepperoni is usually made from cured pork and beef although poultry may also be used. Thinly sliced pepperoni is a popular pizza topping in American-style pizzerias, a filing in the West Virginia pepperoni roll, and is used to make some varieties of sub sandwiches.
History of pepperoni

History of fettuccine

Fettuccine is also known as Gnocche pelose, lane, lane pelose, ramicce, and sagne. In Umbria, thick fettuccine are called macchecroni; in Abruzzo, tajarelloni; in the Marche, strenghe; and in Sicily, lasagne.

The art of cutting sheets of lasagne into finer noodles was discovered in the 15th century. Maestro Martino, author and the world’s first celebrity chef wrote in his Libro de arte coquinaria in 1456 that fettuccine should be cut to the width of the finger.

Fettuccine carbonara

The name literally ‘little ribbons’. It is central Italian equivalent of the northern Italian tagliatelle, its name in Italian first recorded in 1897 means ‘little slices, little ribbon’. It was made by nuns in Roman convents and sent to new mothers in the belief they would aid the production of milk.
History of fettuccine

Perugina

Perugina is an Italian chocolatier and confectionery based in Perugia (Umbria), Italy. The company was founded in 1907, but it was acquired by Swiss-based multinational food and beverage company Nestle in 1988.

This company was founded by four partners, including Francesco Buitoni one of the founder of the Buitoni food company.  By 1922, the company employed about 400 workers, 300 of them women.

In 1922, the company launched its famous Bacio Perugina and between the wars expanded rapidly to become a leader in the sector of chocolate and sweets production.

Both Buitoni and Perugina expanded internationally in the 1930s, first to France and then to the United States with further expansion after World War II.

Perugina Chocolate House founded in Perugia in 2007, where visitors may discover the origins of chocolate, the black gold of the Maya; learn the art of chocolate making; and the history of the Perugina brand.

Perugina’s most popular products in the United States are its Baci, (which means ‘kisses’ in Italian), composed of chocolate and hazelnuts.
Perugina 

Fettuccine Alfredo

In the 1914, a Roman restaurateur named Alfredo di Lelio is credited with the invention of Fettuccine Alfredo.

He came with recipe in order to tempt his pregnant wife who had become weak from loss of appetite.

Di Lelio determined to get her to eat, transformed his fettuccine al-burro – a homely preparation of pasta tossed with butter and parmesan – by significant increasing the amount of butter he used.

The result was a more lavish dish, which neither his wife nor his customers could resist.

Di Lelio’s signature dish was prepared tableside; as the heat from the noodles melted the butter, the smiling and mustachioed di Lelio lifted and twirled the fettuccine with a gold fork and spoon, pausing to sprinkle in copious amount of grated cheese.

While the original consisted simply of butter and cheese, ‘Alfredo’ has become ubiquitous term that covers everything from a rich sauce to additions of vegetables, chicken, and seafood.

The dish and its creator became famous in Rome, but they were unknown outside of Italy until 1920, when George Rector an American restsaurant owner, writer and bon vivant, sang their praises in his Saturday Evening Post column

Fettuccini Alfredo achieved world fame in 1920 when Hollywood legends Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford dined at his restaurant while honeymoon in Rome, they were so pleased with the dish that they presented Alfredo with a gold plated fork and spoon.

In 1966, food packagers jumped on the trend the Pennsylvania Dutch noodle company started marketing fettuccini with a recipe from Alfredo’s sauce.
Fettuccine Alfredo