I Became a Food Developer in Another World

Chapter 10: Dessert is definitely ice cream

The Church’s request was puzzling.

Processed food, which embodies the human desire for taste, and the Church’s sacraments, which symbolize abstinence, were diametrically opposed.

Processed food for a sacrament?

There is no such thing…….

‘No, this would work.’

I changed my mind when I saw the types of sacraments listed on the paperwork the church sent me.

The church wanted me to make a sweet dessert that would whet their appetites.

They can’t change a time-honored sacrament, so they want to add something to appease the congregation.

The Church also seemed to have given this Thanksgiving situation a lot of thought.

After all, people are people, and they can’t stay the same forever.

“Will you accept the request?”

“Yes.”

I nodded at Ranya’s words.

“I think it’ll be easier than I thought.”

“…Sometimes I wonder how you make food when you can’t even cook.”

“That’s why I use your imagination.”

“What did you imagine this time?”

“Ice cream.”

Gelato.

The authentic Italian ice cream that Pope John Paul II is said to have enjoyed.

The legendary dessert that sparked the “defend the gelato” debate that pitted nation against nation over a single scoop of ice cream.

That was the third processed food I would make.

*

Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream.

The difference between gelato and ice cream is that gelato has a heavier, smoother texture than ice cream.

In the past life world, gelato was a dessert so associated with the Church that even the Pope of the Vatican enjoyed it.

It’s known as “the Pope’s ice cream.”

It was a fitting dessert for a sacramental meal. Best of all, it was easy to make.

The milk and cream used in gelato are dairy products that are easily found in the rest of the world.

Of course, the texture of my gelato was a little different from the usual gelato.

Whereas the Italians’ gelato was homemade, mine was factory-made.

“Ice cream is Häagen-Dazs.

It was gelato from Häagen-Dazs, the master of ice cream.

“…This is amazing.”

Young Cardinal Bruno’s eyes widened as he tasted the gelato.

The texture of the gelato as it rolled around in his mouth and then melted away was the most mysterious experience of his life.

All his life, ice cream had been a primitive form of dessert, consisting of crushed ice topped with raw honey.

Sometimes chewing on the unmelted ice made his teeth chatter and made it uncomfortable to eat but the wizard’s ice cream had none of that.

The smooth texture seemed to melt into a cloud upon entering the mouth, and the luxurious sweetness had a deep flavor without being overpowering.

“Mmm.”

Bruno wordlessly moved his spoon around until all the gelato in the bowl was gone.

When he came to, he was scraping the spoon against an empty glass.

“…So this is what it’s like to know that food can make you happy.”

Bruno stared at the glass in admiration.

“Are you telling me this is real ice cream?”

“Yes, it is. Technically, it’s called gelato.”

“Gelato……”

Bruno replied, licking the name.

“It tasted heavenly.”

It was the highest praise a cardinal could give.

“I think it was the best decision of my life to ask the wizard for sacramental counsel, and then to suggest it to the Pope.”

“You mean, other than becoming a priest?”

“No, because turning to God was a decision I made on the run.”

Cardinal Bruno smiled thinly and the younger cardinal bowed deeply.

“I thank you on behalf of the Church for creating the sacrament. Mr. Yuri Grail.”

*

“Perhaps our Church has been too neglectful of food. This, too, is food from Heaven.”

The Pope’s first words after tasting gelato.

“…Delicious. So, this is the food of the modern era.”

The Pope, who adhered to an ascetic lifestyle, misunderstood ‘gelato’ as the average level of otherworldly food.

Instead of being average, he had the illusion that there were many foods that could be compared to it, even at a higher level.

This was also true of Coke and Pringles, which he had recently been forced to taste.

The continent’s food culture had progressed immeasurably while he had remained ascetic.

To think we have only been recommending grain tea and unleavened bread amidst such an elevated food culture…

“I think the church has been too harsh on young priests,” he says.

For those who had grown up with this kind of food, unleavened bread would have been too difficult to eat.

Pope Paul XIII made a decision.

“It is good to keep tradition,” he said, “but I realize today that it is only meaningful if it is in keeping with the times.”

The Pope’s voice echoed through the church.

“Let us reform those things that are out of step with the times, including the sacraments.”

It was a moment of reform for a Church that had been stuck in a conservative culture.

*

Within a week, the reform decree issued by Pope Paul XIII had reached every church on the continent.

The Church was astonished that the frugal and tradition-oriented Pope Paul XIII had issued such a decree.

“I can’t believe the frugal pope decided to reform,” said one.

“I guess this whole Thanksgiving thing has changed his mind.”

“Well, it was a bit noisy, after all…”

The announced reforms included a number of changes to what had been considered bad practices, doctrines that were difficult to understand, and traditions that were out of date.

“Short-sleeved priest robes, really…!”

“Does this mean I can wear short sleeves in the summer?”

“Gone is the mandatory attendance at dawn services!”

“Hmm, I worry this might be too much of a change. Short sleeves on robes that should be neat and proper.”

While some older priests expressed concern about the drastic changes, most priests enthusiastically welcomed the announced reforms.

Then, amidst the uproar in the Church, a revised sacramental menu was unveiled.

These, too, raised eyebrows among priests.

“Meat for communion, how surprising!”

“The Pope has decided to encourage the consumption of meat in order to take care of the health of the people.”

The sacrament had never contained meat before. In addition, some improvements were made to the way it was prepared.

“Alas! At last we are free of the dreaded grain tea.”

“True, the unleavened bread was tasteless.”

The church diet was notoriously bland, so no one objected this time.

However, the dessert chosen had everyone scratching their heads.

“Gelato? What is this?”

“I heard it’s a dessert.”

“…What, you mean they’re putting dessert in the sacrament?”

The priests were puzzled by the idea of dessert in the sacrament, but after tasting the gelato, their reaction was explosive.

“What is this, this extreme softness……?”

“Oops, it disappeared in my mouth!”

“…This is ice cream?”

“Mmm, sweet.”

The priests were enthusiastic about gelato, and that enthusiasm naturally spread to the church-going public.

“That’s it for today’s service. I hope you all have a little dessert before you go.”

The good-hearted priests gladly served gelato to their congregation.

“So, you’re going to church again today?”

“Yes, to pray to God.”

“No, you’ve never prayed in your life, why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

“Well, maybe eating gelato will make you want to practice your faith.”

“Gelato? What is that?”

“Gelato, it’s heavenly food.”

This soon led to a gelato epidemic.

“Oh my God, how can there be a food that disappears in your mouth?”

“Indeed, it does taste heavenly!”

“Gelato is truly a sacred food.”

People would go to church every weekend to eat gelato served in the church.

“I thought you were an atheist?”

“From this day forward, I am a believer.”

Some even became churchgoers just for the gelato.

Some even rumored that it was the gelato that inspired the Pope to make the reforms.

“The Pope wanted to include gelato in the sacraments,” says one.

“I heard it was a revelation from Heaven.”

“I see! That’s why he made the reform. It seemed so sudden.”

The rumor was baseless, but it was close to the truth, and it reached the ears of the nobles.

“It is said that this is the famous ice cream that made the Pope reform the Church.”

“Alas, it tastes so dreamy.”

“It would taste even better with Pringles dipped in it.”

“I like it with Coke.”

Despite some odd tastes among foodies with unique palates, the gelato fad was a success.

“The church needs to stop monopolizing gelato!”

“Gelato belongs to all of us!”

……It was too successful.