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Granita is a typical Sicilian semi-frozen dessert.
Granita is a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and fruit juice or other ingredients (the most popular are coffee, almond, cocoa or pistachio).
Originally from Sicily, although available all over Italy, it is related to sorbet and italian ice.
However, in most of Sicily, it has a coarser, more crystalline texture.
The different kinds of granita are the result of different freezing techniques: the smoother types are produced in a gelato machine, while the coarser varieties are frozen with only occasional agitation, then scraped or shaved to produce separated crystals.
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Granita is often found served in glasses with the typical Sicilian yeast pastry called brioscia (the Sicilian brioche is similar to the French one but it is flatter and wider).
Granita and brioscia are the traditionall Sicilian breakfast, especially in Summer.
However you can taste it at every hour of the day, in plastic glasses for example, during the hot Summer strolls.
Moreover, granita has become ingredient to create new delicious recipe with ice tea, coffee or beer.
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HISTORY
The origins of granita are dated during the Arab domination, in Sicily. When Arabian people arrived to the Sicilian isle, they brought with them the recipe of their typical ice drink called sherbet made with orange juice or rose water.
During the centuries the recipe of sherbet was modified.
In Sicily people used to pick up the snow on the Peloritani and Nebrodi mountains or on the Etna during the winter.
Then, they used to serve it in particular constructions on natural or artificial caves. During the Summer they used to scrape the snow adding syrup of flowers or fruits.
This kind of preparation was called rattata (scraping). Today granita is prepared with the gelato machine.
It is difficult to fix the original recipe of granita: it seems that the most traditional ones had as flavourings ingredients jasmine, cinnamon and lemon.
Today there are a lot of varieties of flavours such as strawberries, coffee, almond, lemon, mint, etc.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Even if the terms of granite and grattachecca are used as synonyms, they have a different preparation. The grattachecca, is a typical Roman dessert made with scraped ice and fruit syrup.
According to the original recipe, the ice should be scraped from an unique huge ice block. When the glass is full of scraped ice, you can add fruit juice or syrup.
Today the grattachecca was almost completely replaced by the simple granita made with water mixed with syrup and put to freeze in particular machines which mix continuously in order to prevent water to form an unique ice block.
A modern version of grattachecca is made with ice cubes crushed with the ice-crusher with the addition of fruit juice or syrup.
CCOOL YOUR SUMMER WITH FUGAR GRANITAS! |
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You can taste Fugar granitas with:
SYRUPS produced with INFUSIONS and NATURAL FRUIT JUICES. They are available in reclosable tanks by Kg 6,5. Just add 5 or 6 Kg of water every Kg of syrup.
It's available in the following reference: sour cherry, orange, strawberry, gelcola, lemon, mint.
POWDER, produced with dehydrated fruit juice.
They are available in single-dose bags by kg 1,250 that should be mixed with 2,8 Lt. of water (3 Lt. for coconut).
It's available in the following reference: coconut, lemon, mint, orange.
Simple and fast to use: just add water to obtain a perfect result, expecially for granitas, milkshakes and drinks.
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