Summertime is upon us and crowds are starting to flock to ice cream carts, yet the American staple has some tough competition from an increasing number of Gelato enthusiasts, eateries and even a MyGelato App for Smartphones. 

In the culinary world, it's a carefully calculated art to handcraft gelato, using some of the finest ingredients in the world. Some of the best artisans, including those who hail from Valencia, Spain, are drawn to the delicious Italian dessert and have participated in the highly-acclaimed Gelato World Tour.

The Gelato World Tour makes stops in a total of eight cities around the world, including Austin, Rome, Berlin, Melbourne and Dubai.

At each stage of the Gelato World Tour, a special committee of experts and trade associations select 16 of the best homemade gelato artisans from the hosting country who present their own single best flavor. The combined votes of the public and a technical jury decide who will move forward in the competition.

The top three will compete at the Grand Finale of the Gelato World Tour on Sept. 5-7, 2014 in Rimini, for the title of "World's Best Gelato."

"It's an incredible opportunity to make themselves known and to show their own recipes to the audience and the media," said a representative from the Carpigiani Gelato University located in Anzola Emilia, Bologna, Italy.

Like the U.S., the Iberian Peninsula has also caught on to the gelato trend, which made its mark in history.

In Spain, where royalty continues to have a strong presence, gelato has played a prominent role in royal history. According to Carpigiani Gelato University, gelato was important at "banquets of the royal courts, enhancing the prestige of the noble families that offered it, or its presence in the monasteries to welcome illustrious guests."

My history and love affair with gelato started several years ago when I was first introduced to it while studying abroad in Sevilla, Spain and had the chance to visit Rome, Italy. I indulged in a three-tiered, hazelnut, mocha and vanilla gelato waffle cone that had sparkly decorations added to it. I was in a sugar-induced coma and paid a visit to gelato heaven, which was evident as I saw a little Italian boy licking his lips, envious of my Italian gelato masterpiece.

Through the years and after another visit to Europe to indulge my senses, I returned to the U.S. thrilled to see more gelato artisans putting their spin on the Italian dessert. In May, the Gelato World Tour made its only North American stop in Austin, Texas, where I had the opportunity to sample some incredible concoctions and unexpected creations, such as the Sweet G's candied bacon gelato, chocolate stout beer with caramel crunch, goat cheese cashew caramel and salted pecan with Montmorency tart cherries and Tahitian vanilla, among several others.

"The city's interest in diverse food experiences, healthy lifestyle, artistic culture and desire for high-quality locally-sourced food ingredients made Austin the perfect choice for our competition," said Achille Sassoli, the Gelato World Tour's director, Culture Map Austin reported.

While there is no question that gelato is a taste craved around the world, there is one other component that also makes gelato a tough contender when compared to ice cream — the fat content and nutritional components.

"Italian gelato contains less fat than ice cream, has less incorporated air, and is served at a higher temperature," explains Carpigiani Gelato University. "Consequently, gelato provides a greater flavor experience because there is less fat that coats the taste buds, more flavor per spoonful (due to lower quantity of air), and the taste buds are more alive since the temperature is not so cold as to dull their sensitivity. Not to mention fewer calories to burn!"

Whether you are a fan of gelato or ice cream, they both have a prominent place in the culinary world and have become more universal around the globe, upping the anty on savory, summertime treats.