Granita

Granita al Limone

Did you know that one of Sicily’s most iconic treats was once made with real snow from Mount Etna? ❄️🍋

Long before freezers existed, the nivaroli climbed Sicily’s mountains each winter, packed snow into underground stone houses, and preserved it until summer. That snow was then mixed with fragrant lemon, almond, and fruit syrups.  A tradition inspired by the Arabs, who introduced sugar, citrus, and the art of making refreshing iced drinks to Sicily over 1,000 years ago.

Today, it’s more than dessert, it’s a Sicilian summer tradition. Whether enjoyed with fresh lemon, creamy almond, or rich coffee (and always better with a warm brioche!), every spoonful tells the story of centuries of Sicilian history.

Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ liter of club soda

• 190 g sugar

• 4 juice of large lemons

Instructions

1. Squeeze the base
Squeeze the juice from all of the lemons to yield about 500ml of juice.

2. Create the sugar syrup
Put the soda water and sugar into a saucepan, apply heat without coming to a full boil. Stir constantly until all sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.

3. Strain Juice
Pour juice through strainer into the syrup to combine.

4. Freeze
Transfer the mixture into a freezable container.

5. Freeze, Stir, Repeat
For 3-4 hours leave in freezer. Every 30 minutes, take out, stir up the mixture until it looks like slush. After 3 - 4 hours, serve!