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Italian ice is a smooth, frozen dessert made of water, sugar, and flavorings, popular in Italy and the eastern United States. It is not ice cream, but more like sherbet, and is often sold by street vendors or in Italian restaurants. It comes in a variety of flavors and is a popular summer treat due to its lack of fat.
Italian ice is a frozen confection somewhat similar to shaved ice or snow cones. It should not be confused with ice cream, Italian ice cream, although parfait-like confections are sometimes sold that layer different types of ice cream-flavored Italian ice. This parfait dessert may be called ice cream, which may further confuse some. Furthermore, the past tradition of referring to ice cream as ice in America may suggest that Italian ice is a type of ice cream. This is typically not the case. The main ingredients of the authentic version are water, sugar and flavourings, mixed and frozen together.
The main difference between Italian ice and other desserts like snow cones is that all the ingredients are blended together before being frozen. Snow cones and shaved ice have syrupy flavors added over ice and are crunchy. Italian ice should always be smooth and the sweetener is usually sugar and not corn syrup. It’s really more like sherbet than shaved ice or snow cones, although some online sherbet recipes have milk products and Italian ice never does. Also, for those concerned about the growing number of foods with high fructose corn syrup, this “ice” version might be a better choice.
You can find this dessert quite obviously in Italy, where it might be called water ice. It is also commonly found in the United States in the eastern Atlantic and has been traded in places such as the Jersey coast for several decades. It can be sold by street vendors, in Italian restaurants, or at local fairs and events. It is extremely popular as a summer treat, as it contains no fat. It certainly has a lot of sugar, but without dairy and especially cream, it’s a much lighter and more refreshing dessert for many.
In other parts of the United States, you may be able to find water ice at your grocery store, usually located near ice cream and popsicles. It often comes in single cup sizes and can be quite expensive. Even more expensive is water ice served in real frozen fruits. Lemon ice could be sold inside halved lemons in Italian delis or restaurants, making for a beautiful presentation.
Flavors of water ice vary, with lemon usually being the most popular. Mint, watermelon, berry, and a variety of other flavors are offered in many places that make or sell water ice. Some versions that find dieting particularly appealing are chocolate ice, which has all the delicious flavor of fat-free chocolate, and hazelnut or vanilla ice. Most popsicles are fruit flavored, and some may feature a mix of flavors, such as melon mint or mixed berry.
Whatever flavor you can find or choose, this sweet frozen dessert is clearly a treat, and many find it far more refreshing than standard ice cream or sundae. On a hot day, there may be nothing quite as ideal as a lemon Italian ice to temporarily offer a sweet escape from unpleasant weather.
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