Have you ever tried the real Sicilian artisan granita?

Not just in the summer but all year round, both locals and tourists from around the world can’t help celebrating this “ritual”: for breakfast, for lunch, in the afternoon or for dinner, they have a granita paired with a hot brioche (a Sicilian version of French sweet bread, sometimes called brioscia cu’ tuppu in the Sicilian dialect to refer to its semi-hemispherical shape, topped with a small dough ball) or, like in the past, with a fragrant freshly-baked roll.

Artisan granita is a very refreshing ice dessert, great to beat the Sicilian summer heat. Not only is it an art for the ones who produce it, but it is also a not to be missed ritual for the ones who experience it.

In the same way as with the tea ceremony in China or Great Britain, to observe the ritual of Sicilian granita (very different from Rome’s grattachecca, sorbet or cremolata) we should allow ourselves approximately 30 minutes of relax in order to enjoy this sweet treat, maybe taking a stroll around the town or sitting outside local cafés while admiring Acireale’s beautiful Baroque buildings, reading a newspaper or even talking shop.

With the quality and variety of its flavours, the ritual of Sicilian granita echoes the multi-layered culture and history of Sicily – an island rich of various influences, including the Arabs.

What are the origins of this tradition?