Crema del re

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Crema del re is a historic gelato flavor prepared and sold at a family-owned Mokambo pastry shop in Ruvo di Puglia. The gelato is made with a base that combines milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla, but the rest of the ingredients remain secret. The recipe for this gelato allegedly dates from 1840. As the story goes, a pastry chef Luigi Marseglia moved to Ruvo in the early 20th century to follow his bride. Marseglia was a pastry chef at the historical café Gambrinus in Naples, and in Ruvo, he shared his passion, knowledge, and the recipe for crema del re with Vincenzo Paparella. Vincenzo would be the one to open the Mokambo bar in 1967. Although the bar did close in the 1990s, it was reopened by Vincenzo's grandchildren and is currently still operating and serving this famed gelato flavor.