Very interesting. I subscribe to a newsletter by Dr. Peter Attia. His latest arrived last night, saying the same thing, about his European vacation:
Greetings -
I know I’m not alone in sensing this, as I’ve had this discussion with at least a dozen friends over the past few years. There is something fundamentally different about food in Europe, when compared to the food in North America.
Yes, there are the obvious differences—in Europe the portions seem smaller, they seem to contain less sugar, and meals tend to take longer (though this can be confounded by the fact that we’re on vacation there, but I still find that ‘on vacation’ in North America we still eat quicker). Europe also lends itself to more walking and coffee and myriad other things that make what I’m about to say anything but scientific.
All of these caveats aside, I am becoming convinced there is something different about the starches—especially the breads and pastas—there versus here. I don’t yet have enough information to suggest I know what I’m talking about, so this is pure hypothesis generation: Is it different strains of wheat? Is it different pesticides? Is it different ingredients used alongside the wheat? I don’t know. But here is what I observed on my recent trip to Italy. I went out of my way to never say “no” to food, which meant eating more pasta and bread in one week than the previous year combined. (I also ate as much gelato as possible on 4 occasions and each time came away feeling fine—not sick and not longing to drink 2 gallons of water—both feelings I experience at home if I have even 10% of that volume in ice cream, including “fancy” high-end ice cream.)
So to recap: Bread, pasta, and gelato seem somehow different in Europe (I’ve now experienced this in 4 or 5 European countries over the past few years) from North America. What gives? I don’t think it’s just that the pasta is more likely to be cooked al dente that’s pushing the needle here. And this is not to suggest a reasonably carbohydrate-intolerant person like me can consume all he wants without consequence. I also see little evidence to support that extreme view. But I do (and by extension suspect this is true for others) sense I can consume more than I can back home.
This man is aware that gelato is NOT ice cream but ice milk?
It is what would be labeled a "frozen dairy dessert" here.
Ice Cream has 10 percent butterfat and only 1.4% egg yokes. The high-end stuff has up to 19% butterfat.
Gelato is about 5% butterfat on average and has no egg yokes.
So while both contain milk, cream and sugar it is like saying that butter does not taste like cottage cheese. Both have milk, cream and salt but the proportions are different and the process is different.
Yup those were the conclusions I came up with during my time living in Europe as well.
https://jovialfoods.com/einkorn/
Try Jovial food Einkorn wheat. It is an antique type of wheat that has not been hybridized. I have serious diagnosed health problems but can eat this ( in small quantities). Im hoping someday when we get to go to Italy I will be able to eat their bread and pasta!