Sicilian Granita Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a Sicilian granita? ›

A Sicilian specialty, granita is a cold, sweet treat made from water, sugar, and fruit that is never completely frozen. It's mixed continuously to obtain a texture that is simultaneously grainy and creamy.

Like sorbet, granitas are often made from a puree of fruit, sugar, and water. The difference is in their texture. Unlike sorbets, which are smooth-churned, granita purees are scraped repeatedly during the freezing process, loosening their structure into icy flakes.

Granita drink is a typical cold dessert of Sicilian cuisine; a semi-frozen liquid compound prepared with water, sugar and fruit juice or other ingredients such as almond, pistachio, coffee…

One of Sicily's most recognizable culinary contributions is caponata, a savory eggplant appetizer served warm or at room temperature. The traditional version is a unique combination of sweet and savory flavors, typically fried eggplant with olives, vinegar, tomatoes, and capers.

Breakfast (Colazione): Granita with Brioche: A popular Sicilian breakfast is granita, a semi-frozen dessert made with sugar, water, and various flavors like coffee, almond, or lemon. It's often served with a sweet brioche.

In Sicily, granita is not enjoyed all by itself - it's almost always consumed with an accompanying bun of fluffy brioche (and the brioche buns have a bun of their own: a little ball on top of the dough called a tuppo in reference to the low-bun hairstyle popularized by Sicilian women).

Sicilian granita and brioche with tuppo: the perfect match. If the granita is a serious matter, so is its pairing par excellence: the one with the brioche with tuppo. The brioche or “brioscia” or “broscia” is the soft and warm pillow on which the pungent and icy granita rests.

The texture of authentic granita is halfway between the creaminess of gelato and the granularity of sorbetto. Granita contains small ice crystals which you should feel with your tongue; the ice crystals should be compact, not liquid and soft like a sorbet.

In Sicily the diet is strongly based on grains, vegetables, and fish. Meats and game are available, but often used in very special dishes, not everyday ones. Swordfish and tuna are the fish most frequently eaten.

Again, if you walk in at 7.00pm you might be the first customer in the restaurant for a while as the majority of the locals wouldn't go to a restaurant earlier than 8.00pm. In the summer, it is very common for Sicilians to go out for dinner much later, even around 10.00pm-10.30pm.

Do Sicilians eat pasta every day? ›

Pasta is still highly regarded in Sicily and, I suppose, in the rest of Italy. A day without pasta is a weird day. It would be-and often is- the last thing people give up when dieting. Mind you that the pasta dishes usually contain vegetables and vegetables only.

The Wines of Sicily

Western Sicily is synonymous with Bianco d'Alcamo, a crisp white, and of course the sweet, thick Marsala has delighted palates for centuries. Nero d'Avola and Cerasuolo di Vittoria, with their deep red hues, are products of southeastern Sicily.

It is a common custom to accompany a lunch or dinner with a glass of good red or white wine from local wineries, but it is also common to end a meal with an amaro “ammazzacaffè” (digestive) or homemade liqueur, perhaps served with ice.

Wines and liqueurs

Sicily is Italy's third largest wine-producing region, most famously known for its fortified Marsala wines, but also producing a number of other varieties such as Zibibbo, Primativo, Moscato and Passito .

The texture of authentic granita is halfway between the creaminess of gelato and the granularity of sorbetto. Granita contains small ice crystals which you should feel with your tongue; the ice crystals should be compact, not liquid and soft like a sorbet.

Most granitas are made using three simple ingredients - fruit, liquid and sugar. Whatever fruits, juices or wines you choose, you can make almost any granita according to the same basic recipe. First, you need to get the correct ratio of fruit to liquid and sugar.