Five curiosities about Sicilian granita
Citymap SiciliaCityMap Sicilia tells you five curiosities about Sicilian granita, that maybe you don’t know…
1. The origin
Since from the Middle Age it was used to eat Granita: the first recipe seems to result from sherbet, it came in Sicily during the Arab domination. The first local producers was called “nivaroli” (men of snow), they gathered snow on vulcano Etna, on mounts Peloritani, Iblei or Nebrodi ones. During the rest of the year, however, they kept the snow in “neviere” (the icy caves) to preserve the ice from summer heat and transport it by the sea during the months of greatest drought. Thanks technological progress, first they began to use a manual well and finally, during the twentieth century, the ice cream maker.
2. The neviere
The snow from the mountain, stored in the icy caves on Etna, arrived in the plain in summer and it was perfect to produce granitas. The snow was stored in deep ditches, they were covered with volcanic ashes.
In summer “nivaroli” brought it down on carts or mules inside juta sack. Also today, on some Sicilian mountains you can find these caves or ditches used to conservation of ice.
3. The richness
The noble families were buying snow Etna winter collection from “nivaroli” (men of snow) and were kept in special “neviere”, placed in natural caves or in very cool places, to repair it from the heat. The trade of this commodity was so important in Sicily that a year with little snow precipitation was comparable to a famine or a drought. Several European travelers have documented an export that reached to touch the coasts of Malta, Naples and even France.
4. The tastes
Originally the snow was scratched and were paid over flowers or fruit syrups and juices. Subsequently, the “rattata” of snow and honey was replaced by a mixture of water, sugar and fruit most similar to the current version. The most popular flavors, including large and small, are strawberry, mulberry and lemon, but with the time you have added more special flavors, like the typical Sicilian prickly India. Another step forward was the creation of variants creamy, very well appreciated in mutual juxtaposition from classic cocoa and coffee to the more experimental coconut, to finish off with dried fruits: almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios.
5. The traditions
There are many sayings associated with the Sicilian granita: you may feel, for example, the phrase “com’na Nivera”, to indicate a particularly cold and inhospitable environment for human beings. There is also a legend associated with this tipically Sicilian recipe: the story of Oxiria, a Phoenician princess who landed in Sicily in search of her love, and to maintain its beauty, it seems to feed on a miraculous mixture of Etna Snow, honey and candied citrus. In short, an eternal beauty elixir, much like today’s granita.