PICK OF THE DAY - GRATTACHECCA

What does it mean to live like a local? Having to go to buy bread, milk and meat at the supermarket or discovering the pleasures of the place one is visiting?

In my opinion only the second. The first is a boring duty that one has to do every day.

One of the local pleasure in Rome during the summer time is the grattachecca. What's that?

It is crushed ice with a syrup, lemon, cherry, mint, almond or whatever the fantasy might suggest.

Grattachecca is something completely different from granita, a typical specialty from Sicily, and sorbet.

These last two specialties are prepared starting from water in which the sugar has been melted making it boil. The syrup is then added to the water, also a liqueur or prosecco for the sorbet and everything is then put in the freezer stirring every 15-20 minutes. The final result is something that is at the same time granular and creamy. In some recipe, also some drops of milk to get it more creamy.

The preparation of grattachecca is much quicker as it is made from blocks of ice that are crushed at the moment, the adding the syrup. Therefore at the same time one will drink and chew the ice. 

Because of the low sugar content, it will result strongly refreshing and thrist quenching.

Grattachecca is typically sold in small kiosks that normally open in the late afternoon or even only in the evening. Those kiosks usually become also meeting point for the people.

One of the best grattachecca in Rome is sold in a kiosk that is located just steps away fro the St. John Villa, along Via Magna Grecia, close to the subway stop. The name of the place is Er Chioschetto.

Vincenzo