Be cool in Sicily

It's late September yet the temperature in Sicily during the day is still very hot. We were in Taormina the other day and it was 27c during the day! Where we are just now, near Randazzo, it is around 24c during the day but in the evening it can be quite cool. You get a lovely breeze during the day without much humidity, you almost forget how strong the sun is and you end up getting sunburn if you forget to use sun cream like I have just done!

Anyway, great treat to have if you want to be cool in such a sunny and hot day is granita, Sicilian Ice, which is made by slowly mixing ripe seasonal fruits, sugar and water to a coarser, more crystalline texture. I like granita di limone (Lemon Granita), which is very nice and refreshing.

Granita di Limone at a cafe in Taormina.

Karen Landes in her book, In Etna's Shadow, explains how to make this refreshing ice treat. In a metal bowl, mix the juice of 3 lemons, 1/3 cup super-fine sugar, and 1 cup water. Place the bowl with the liquid into the freezer and stir every 30 minutes with a fork to break-up the ice crystals. Continue stirring until the liquid becomes granular but still slightly slushy, about 3 to 4 hours.

We were in Randazzo yesterday. It was about 11.30am and it was starting to get really warm. We went into a pasticcerie. My husband ordered an espresso and a small strawberry pasty. I ordered a granita di limone and the proprietor asked if I wanted it with a brioche. Yes, I have heard about gelati with a brioche in Sicily, which is on my list (see my earlier blog - what I want to eat in Sicily), so without any hesitation, I nodded my head for yes. Apparently Sicilians eat gelato in a soft warm brioche roll in a sandwich style, while granita into which pieces of brioche are dunked for breakfast! I looked around and yes, I did indeed see some locals eating ice cream or granita with brioche. This is a very interesting combination happening in my mouth - nice soft, sweet and warm brioche roll and cool and refreshing granita at the same time. It does really work, but you got to be in Sicily to really appreciate it.

Granita di limone and a soft warm brioche roll.

Italy is famous for gelato. According to Blue Guide - Sicily (2012 edition), it is quite possible that ice cream was invented in Sicily. The Romans brought down snow from Mt. Etna during the winter, stored it in pits dug in cool cellars, covering it with a thick layer of straw or sawdust to keep it fresh until summer. It was then recovered and mixed with wine, honey and spices and sold as a great luxury to the riches. The Arabs in Sicily then used sugar instead of honey and fruit juice instead of wine, calling it sherbet (hence sorbet). Then 17c Sicilian confectioner added cream to the mixture, which became the origin of what we have for gelato today.

Gelato is however mainly made with milk, which means less fat and has no air added (aside from what occurs naturally during the churning process), so it has more intense, dense and creamier flavour that normal ice cream. When you go to gelaterie (ice cream parlors), you see so many different flavours to choose from, usually as many as 30 - 40 choices!

Orange flavour gelati - this meant to be the smallest size!!!

The hotel where we are staying serves semifreddo for dessert, which is a semi-frozen dessert made with a base similar to gelato but with cream added. Being near Mt Etna, they serve pistachio flavoured semifreddo, with grated pistachio nuts. 

Semifreddo al pistacchio.

In fact here in Mt Etna region, they use pistachio as well as almonds for food extensively and imaginatively, which is another story for another day.