Granita

A single spoon of this sugary, icy wonder instantly transported me into a different land. I was probably one of Enid Blyton’s figments of imagination, a character from Harry Potter or perhaps a part of Disney’s Frozen. That’s just how magically delightful a bowl of granita is, it is a piece of confection that could only be a part of enchanting fairy-tales. A semi-frozen dessert prepared with large amounts of sugar, water and flavourings like lemon, orange, watermelon, strawberry, chocolate and even almond for that matter, it is a favourite with most Italians, even more than Tiramisu. Granita is not an ice-cream and it is also not a sorbet. It is not too coarse and not exceedingly smooth. But it certainly is delicious.

Yet another gift of the Sicilian region, it is so ridiculously simple, that anyone could make and relish a tall glass at home. Granita works as a wonderful palate cleanser and is therefore often consumed between courses of a meal. A popular variant of the granita is the one where it ceases to be a dessert and is more of a slushy beverage. Sipping on a tall glass of this sweet elixir flavoured with tangy, citrusy Sorrento lemons while walking around the ruins of Pompeii on a hot afternoon, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Summertime happiness indeed!