The delicious and uniquely local strand of ice-cream has recently been pointed out in a surprising number of reports and news items as one of the main things to experience when renting villas in Sicily.
While not definitely credited with inventing the typically summery frozen treat, there is no denying Sicily’s role in the history of ice cream desserts. The region boasts a number of appetizing delicacies based around ‘gelato’, which guests renting villas in Sicily will undoubtedly want to taste during their time in the region.
Perhaps the region’s best-known delicacy is ‘brioscia’, an ice cream-filled bun which is warmed up for an interesting hot-cold contrast. While frighteningly high on calories — each serving has about 1800 of them! — this is a specialty worth indulging for, uniquely regional and utterly delicious as it is. Many Sicilians even make a piece of ‘brioscia’ the sole component of their meals during the summer, as it is fulfilling enough to warrant doing away with other dishes.
‘Brioscia’ is not, however, Sicily’s sole claim to fame in the field of ice cream. The region is well-known for the smooth, soft quality of its frozen desserts, which possess just the right amount of sugar to make them pleasant to the palate. The southern Italian enclave is also responsible for giving the ice-cream world one of its most popular flavours, pistachio, which along with carruba (a flavour derived from the carob tree) make up the duo of traditionally local flavours guests renting villas in Sicily should seek out.
One curious particularity of Sicily’s relationship with ice cream is its potentially pioneering status in the field of conserving foodstuffs through freezing. The soil underneath Mount Etna, the region’s famous active volcano, is a hotbed for ice formations, insulated from the warm weather by layers of volcanic ash from the mountain’s frequent eruptions. Some believe this ice to have been used by early inhabitants of the region as a form of early, natural fridge-freezer!
About Essential Italy:
Essential Italy provides affordable, good-quality, authentically Italian villa, hotel or apartment accommodation in Puglia, Sardinia, Tuscany, Umbria, Sicily, and the Amalfi Coast. Contact them at http://www.essentialitaly.co.uk .
Contact Details:
12 George Street
Cambridge, CB4 1AJ
United Kingdom
+44(0)1223 460100
[email protected]
