It’s summertime here in Italy, and that means that my husband and I have packed up our bags and our cats and headed down to Messina, Sicily to visit my husband’s family. I could write a whole post about all the wonderful food here and the unique Sicilian dishes everyone should try (and I just might just do that!), but today I’m just going to tell you about one: la granita.
This icy treat is a staple here in Sicily, but the proper way to eat it — and the proper time — may surprise you. Luckily, I’m here to tell you how to eat a granita like a real Sicilian!
What Is a Granita?
Granita is a semi-frozen concoction made from sugar, water, and various flavors, sometimes with the addition of a whipped cream topping. Some sources describe it as being similar to sorbet or Italian ice, but the texture varies, not just from region to region, but from city to city. In my experience, it is more like a slushy, but a bit denser (and you don’t drink it with a straw. More on that later).
Granita can be made with a gelato machine, or can be made by agitating the mix of sugar and flavoring every so often as it freezes so that it breaks up the ice and keeps it from turning into one big, solid popsicle. In some cities, granita is chunkier, with bigger pieces of ice, but in others it has a smoother, almost creamy texture, which is usually the result of using a machine.
When it comes to flavors, there are a multitude of them. Some are made from fresh fruit, like lemon, strawberry, peach, raspberry, watermelon, and even fichi d’india, while others are made with things like coffee, chocolate, or pistachio. The latter types are often served with cream on top, but you can also get them without (or add the cream to a fruity flavor instead).
What Time of Day Should I Eat a Granita?
The good news about granita is that you can eat it pretty much any time of day. In Sicily, though, it is most often eaten in the morning for breakfast (or second breakfast), which may be surprising for Americans who are not used to eating frozen treats first thing in the morning.
I personally find it more refreshing as a snack on a hot day, after my stomach has had a chance to warm up!
How Sicilians Eat Granita
Okay, so now you know what a granita is and when you should buy one, but you still won’t look like a true Sicilian unless you know the proper granita-eating technique, which is as follows:
- Mix the granita – And I don’t just mean stir it a bit. Sicilians really mix these things good, and they will encourage you to mix it from the bottom to the top before stirring it around, so that the flavor is evenly spread throughout the whole granita (as is the cream, if you added that).
- Grab a brioche – “Wait a second,” you say, “I thought we were eating granita!” We are! But you didn’t expect to eat a granita with a spoon, did you? (Oh, you did? Join the club!) While you can certainly eat some of the granita with a spoon, most granita is served with a big brioche, a buttery bread roll with a big knot on the top. Sicilians tear pieces off the brioche and scoop up (not dip, they keep telling me, scoop) the granita and eat them together. It makes for a very hearty breakfast, indeed!
It took me a while to perfect this technique, and believe me, I got plenty of good-natured teasing and exasperated tips before I finally did!
How NOT to Eat a Granita
The easiest mistake to make when ordering a granita is not ordering the brioche with it. Sure, you’re not going to go to Italian jail or anything if you eat a granita on its own (I honestly prefer it this way on a hot afternoon), but you will get funny looks. I can’t tell you how many times I have asked for a granita without the brioche and my husband, his family, and the waiter all took turns asking me “No brioche? Really? Are you sure?” like they were concerned I might be ill.
But, there is a workaround: even if you don’t really want the brioche, you can order it anyway and save some of it for later. It makes a fantastic bread for a sandwich with mortadella, mayonnaise, tomato and provalina.
The second (and more egregious) error one can make when ordering a granita is to mix the wrong ingredients. Lemon and strawberry? Fine. Pistachio and chocolate? Go for it! Coffee and cream? Perfetto.
Lemon and cream? No way!!
I was recently speaking with some Sicilians who were giggling as they told the tale of a young woman ordering a lemon granita with cream at a local bar. It sounds like a frozen version of lemon meringue pie or something, right? As an American, I didn’t see anything wrong with this (in fact, I honestly though it sounded kind of good), but I have now learned that it is apparently comparable to adding cream to carbonara — it’s just not done. Never mix citrus with cream! (Or if you do, just be ready for some potential confusion or teasing from the Sicilians around you).
The most important rule of eating a granita, though, is just to enjoy it. Don’t worry too much about the “rules” or fitting in with the Sicilians — just grab a spoon (or a brioche) and dig in!
Do you have a favorite granita flavor? Let us know in the comments!