Food
Beyond Gelato: 6 Frozen Italian Treats To Try
Leave it to Italians to master the art of palate-pleasing heat-busters. From icy granita to indulgent tartufo, these cool confections were made for the dog days of summer
No shade to the classic gelato, but when temperatures soar in Italy, there are so many more frozen delicacies to help you cool down. Try these icy confections during your next trip – or try your hand at home.
Granita
Granita is the Italian grandfather of today’s shaved ice. It begins by blending flavouring elements, like puréed fruit, coffee or finely ground nuts, with sugar and water, then freezing the mixture and scraping it often to break up the ice crystals and achieve a granulated texture.
While machine-made granita has become more common, you can still find it handmade throughout Italy, especially in the south, and almost exclusively in Sicily, where granita rivals gelato as the king of cool treats. Some regions are famous for their rigorously local flavours; in and around the city of Catania, creamy almond and roasted almond are de rigueur.
Throughout the island, granita served with a warm brioche is an iconic breakfast combo. To make it at home, start by puréeing your ingredients; then spread in a shallow pan and freeze for about 60 minutes, or until ice crystals form. Stir it up with a fork, and keep up the freezing-and-stirring routine until you reach your desired consistency.
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Grattachecca
When in Rome, grab a grattachecca for a dose of local flavour in every sense of the word. A uniquely Roman treat, it’s made by grating giant blocks of ice by hand (or with a special device) and dousing the shavings in flavoured syrups like amarena (sour cherry), citrus, coconut or mint.
This is no slushy. Grated ice is sturdier and holds up to toppings like sliced fruit, fresh mint and even coconut wedges. You’ll find it at kiosks located near the river and in Trastevere, one of Rome’s oldest neighbourhoods. While hand-shaved grattachecca is best left to the experts (save your knuckles), if you must try it at home, use an industrial-strength food processor to chop the ice before adding your choice of flavoured syrups and toppings.
Crema di Caffè
Crema di caffè, a milkshake-like concoction made with espresso and eaten with a spoon, is the unsung hero of frozen Italian desserts. Almost always prepared in a soft-serve machine – they’re ubiquitous at bars during the summer months – it flies in the face of Italy’s reputation as an artisanal-only culinary destination, but it’s fantastic nonetheless.
It’s also dangerously easy to whip up at home, and even easier if you have a frappé blender. The thin, immersion-style blender comes with a metal cup for ingredients; think old-school milkshakes made to order. Blend sugar, espresso and heavy cream, put in the freezer until the cream thickens considerably and crystals form, then whip it up and devour.
Sorbetto di Limone
Spoonable or sippable, sorbetto di limone is a dairy-free summer staple that’s less “street treat” and “perfect finish for a meal”.
The word sorbetto has Arabic origins. Sharbat (with the root word shariba, to drink) refers to sweet beverages made from fruit juices and flower essences. Arab occupiers in Sicily once collected snow from Mount Etna and mixed it with sharbat, which is also the likely origin story for granita.
Sorbetto a limone in particular is made from just lemon juice, sugar and water, and can be jazzed up with lemon zest and even spiked with liqueur like limoncello. The combination of sweetness and tangy citrus is a perfect palate reset and a great way to wrap up a sumptuous seafood meal. It’s usually served in a flute glass, but you may find it adorably presented in empty lemon shells.
Looking to make it at home? The recipe is simple, and the secret is in the quality of ingredients. If you can’t get your hands on aromatic Amalfi lemons, try Meyer lemons – though any fresh citrus fruit will do in a pinch.
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Semifreddo
As the name would imply, this cool, creamy, dreamy confection is only semi-frozen. Unlike gelato or grattachecca, semifreddo spends less time in the freezer but is every bit as refreshing. It’s served by the slice or in a circular mould and requires a spoon.
It’s made from a base of egg yolks, whipped cream and meringue, which lends it an airier quality and a has lighter, more melt-in-your-mouth consistency than traditional ice cream. The flavour possibilities are endless, but tiramisu is especially popular, along with hazelnut, chocolate and seasonal fruit.
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Tartufo
Named after the prized black truffle, for its uneven circular shape and colour, the dessert tartufo is equally celebrated as an indulgent experience. This gelato-based delicacy is a domed delight, dusted in cocoa powder and stuffed with layers of chocolate and (usually) hazelnut gelato, with a creamy heart of chocolate ganache or melted chocolate.
Tartufo is believed to have originated in the town of Pizzo, Calabria, when a gelateria ran out of serving cups for a wedding party. Their solution: create something equally luxurious that can sit on a plate and hold its shape together. The tartufo has migrated up and down the boot of Italy, and can be found in freezer sections of grocery stores and gelaterias, as well as on restaurant menus. You can still try the original in the town of Pizzo at historic ice cream parlours Ercole and Dante. If you’re willing to prepare this at home, the filling options are endless!
[Header image: Olga Mazyarkina/Getty Images]
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