Chandigarh, May 18: It's summer time and most of us are drawn to ice creams. And, in these calorie conscious times, many are scared of gaining weight. But people in Chandigarh have found a solution.

In Chandigarh, you can enjoy a variety of ice creams without worrying. Nik Bakers in Chandigarh have launched Gelato ice creams. The term gelato is derived from the Italian world gelare, which simply means frozen.

With Nik Bakers, those who want to skip regular ice creams and want gelatos, ice-cream sandwiches and fruity mixes, now they have an alternative in Chandigarh city.

"Before customers actually buy it, they can do a sampling. They can have all the flavors of gelato. Like there is a spoon here. They will give you a flavor to taste some. But its price is definitely expensive because all the ingredients are made of Italian ingredients like the flavors and other ingredients, the price range can be between 400 to 500 a kilogram. I am just talking about the ingredients. Then we make ice cream with these ingredients, so as compared to the market ice creams, which you get for 100 -150 rupees per liter, this one starts from 600 rupees per liter and goes up to 1200 rupees per liter. Hence, there's a huge difference. But when you try it, you come to know why it is so expensive," said Nikhil Mittal, owner of NIK bakers.

People in Chandigarh are queuing up to savor the cold dessert that is somewhat similar to ice cream, yet different. It is made of fresh fruits, natural ingredients and skimmed dairy products.

Gelato is produced daily to ensure the product is always fresh, unlike normal ice cream, which is manufactured and stored for long periods.

That's not all, Gelato has no gelatin and is without air too.

Apart from fat-free ice creams, outlets like Nik Bakers, Giletos', and Baskin Robbins in Chandigarh offer Sorbets, that are absolutely fat free and are made from fruit pulp.

"If you compare the difference between a branded ice cream and just a normal ice cream, the difference is huge. They are smoother, more aerated and definitely the taste is better," said Jasmine, an ice cream enthusiast.

"We really enjoy having ice cream in summer. Even in winter also we enjoy it. There is no as such rule that we just take ice cream in summer. We love to have it in winters. I think that kind of thing, we can have anytime. It's a pleasure to have ice cream every time," said Ritu Bhatia, another ice cream enthusiast.

After sunset and especially after dinnertime, one can notice many people heading for a quick cool bite of it. While most often it includes a stroll down to the branded ice-cream cart at the roundabout, the other option is an ice-cream parlor.

Each summer, ice-cream manufacturers are coming up with new flavors and varieties. And to woo the customers they even organize ice-cream festivals. (ANI)