Italian ice is a frozen or semi-frozen sweetened treat made with fruit (often from concentrates, juices, or

purée A purée (or mash) is cooked food, usually vegetables, fruits or legumes, that has been ground, pressed, blended or sieved to the consistency of a creamy paste or liquid. Purées of specific foods are often known by specific names, e.g., app ...

s) or other natural or artificial food flavorings.U.S. Food and Drug Administration
CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21
Accessed 9 June 2011. Italian ice is similar to

sorbet Sorbet (), also called "water ice", is a frozen dessert made using ice combined with fruit juice, fruit purée, wine, liqueur, honey, etc. Generally sorbets do not contain dairy ingredients, while sherbets do. Etymology The word "sorbet" en ...

and

snow cone Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

s, but differs from American-style sherbet in that it does not contain

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

or egg ingredients. It was introduced to the United States by Italian immigrants and is derived from the Sicilian granita, a similar and related Italian dessert. Common flavors include

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The n ...

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...

cotton candy Cotton candy, also known as fairy floss and candy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It usually contains small amounts of flavoring or food coloring. It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrif ...

and other fruits and sweet victuals. Detroit Water Ice

Finely granulated flavored ice is commonly referred to and sold as water ice by residents and natives of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

and the Philadelphia metropolitan area (Delaware Valley), including

South Jersey South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey located between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrativ ...

and areas of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...

. Water ice is almost identical to Italian ice, as it is similarly derived from granita brought to the Philadelphia area by Italian immigrants in early 20th century. Though largely synonymous with Italian ice, Philadelphia area “water ice” has also been described as a specific type of Italian ice originating in Philadelphia, or a "variation on the more broadly-accepted Italian ice." Water ice is generally sold in Philadelphia and the Philly area in the late spring and summer months, being one of the most popular iconic frozen

desserts Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and most parts of ...

sold in the city by virtue of commercial chains such as

Rita's Italian Ice Rita's Franchise Company, LLC, doing business as Rita's Italian Ice (informally known as "Rita's Water Ice"), is a privately owned and operated American quick service restaurant chain that operates primarily in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Th ...

The history of Italian Ice

Italian water ice has a long history which can first founded 4000 years ago. The Greeks and Romans used snow from Mount Etna to cool their wines. The Italian word sorbetto and English sherbet come from these sweet fruit syrups that the Arabs used to drink, diluted with ice tiles. For thousands of years, people have kept ice cubes to satisfy their cravings for cold drinks. Today's Sherbet and wine coolers may have originated from wine-flavored ice cubes eaten by early humans, while today's snow cones may have originated from ice cubes that formed long ago, forming real snow mixed with honey and fruit. In Europe, water ice seems to have appeared at the same time as ice cream in the second half of the 17th century. Both products use the same technology. Water ice can be used as a stand-alone refreshment, dessert, or as a means of restoring the palate midway through a meal of many courses.

Nutrition

Except when made from fruit or fruit juice, Italian ice is defined in US law as a food of

minimal nutritional value In United States law, a food of minimal nutritional value is one that USDA has determined contain little to no nutritional value; these foods may not be sold in competition with the school lunch and breakfast programs. For example, sugar candy, sod ...

References

Frozen desserts Italian desserts Cuisine of New York City Cuisine of Philadelphia Italian-American cuisine Italian-American culture in New York City Italian-American culture in Philadelphia {{italy-dessert-stub

The history of Italian Ice

Nutrition

See also

References