Granita with brioche col tuppo
Photo: DinaBenedettoFerrandina · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Granita traces to Arab sherbet, brought to 9th-century Sicily by the Aghlabid conquest. The Arab snow-and-honey form evolved during the Norman period into the modern flavoured-ice version, sweetened with cane sugar from the new Sicilian sugar refineries. The pairing with the topknot brioche is a 19th-century Palermitan ritual that survives intact.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Nuts

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 20 minTotal 5 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 200g raw almonds (Avola almonds preferred)
  • 1 litre cold water
  • 180g caster sugar
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 6 brioche col tuppo (shop-bought is fine)
  • Whipped cream to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Blanch almonds in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and slip off the skins.
  2. Blend the peeled almonds with 500ml of the cold water until smooth.
  3. Strain through cheesecloth, squeezing to extract all the almond milk. Discard the solid almond pulp (or save for biscotti).
  4. Stir sugar and salt into the almond milk until dissolved. Add the remaining water.
  5. Pour into a wide shallow tray and freeze. Every 30 minutes for 3 to 4 hours, scrape with a fork to break up ice crystals.
  6. Serve in a glass with the lid of the brioche col tuppo dipped into the granita, the rest of the bun on the side. Whipped cream optional.

Tip from the editors. Hand-scraping every 30 minutes gives the proper grainy texture; a granita machine produces a smoother sorbet instead.

Where to eat granita with brioche col tuppo

Granita with brioche col tuppo in Palermo

Gelateria Stancampiano ★ 4.8

€€ €5-12BrunchGranita and brioche summer brunchLiberta

Stancampiano on Via Notarbartolo in Palermo is the city's reference granita-and-brioche summer brunch counter, three generations of family operation.

OrderGranita di mandorla con brioche col tuppo, the Palermitan summer breakfast.

TipArrive 07:30-09:00 for the freshest granita. Cash works fastest.

Directions

Bar Pasticceria Alba ★ 4.6

€€ €8-18BrunchSicilian breakfast brunchLiberta

Bar Alba on Piazza Don Bosco in Palermo since 1955 is the city's reference morning brunch room, granita with brioche col tuppo, cannoli filled to order.

OrderGranita di mandorla with brioche col tuppo, the Palermitan summer brunch standard.

TipArrive by 10:00 for the local crowd. Cannoli filled to order; never pre-filled.

Directions Book

Antico Caffe Spinnato ★ 4.4

€€€ Cocktail barCafe-bar aperitivoPoliteama

Antico Caffe Spinnato's pedestrian terrace on Via Principe di Belmonte in Palermo's Politeama is the city's senior cafe-bar for aperitivo, drawing the local.

DrinkAperol spritz, Sicilian wines by the glass

FoodAperitivo plates, charcuterie

TipThe pedestrian terrace fills first in summer. Aperol spritz and Sicilian wines by the glass.

Directions

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