Grattachecca may not be easy to pronounce, but this traditional Roman summer treat has become a social media sensation among visitors to the Italian capital.
It’s not ice cream, sorbet or gelato – grattachecca is one particularly Roman way to beat the heat, though it’s seen as a somewhat retro choice by many younger Italians today.
But it’s also reportedly enjoying a revival thanks to social media – at least among international visitors.
As the capital sweltered in 37 degrees this week, AFP reported long lines at one specialist kiosk, The Golden Fountain, by the river Tiber.
“It’s delicious! Especially on such a hot day, it’s very refreshing,” said Andrea Alvarado, a 55-year-old Californian visitor trying the four-euro treat after she learned about it on social media.
The kiosk’s owners, husband and wife Massimo Crescenzi and Rosanna Mariani, told AFP demand is growing as summers in the city get ever hotter, with more kiosks across the city offering the frozen desserts.
“The season used to begin in June through September. Now, we’re May to October and probably in the next few years it will be even longer,” Crescenzi said.
They stressed that grattachecca is not the same thing as the more famous Sicilian granita, in which water is combined with fruit and sugar and frozen together.
Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP
Instead, blocks of ice are cracked into small chunks, and then shaved either by hand or by using a machine before fruit and flavourings are added, from coconut and lemon to tamarind, mint and black cherry.
The treat has a long history, according to the kiosk’s owners.
Back in the day, “ice came from the Abruzzo mountains and was transported to Rome by carts,” Crescenzi said.
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The name probably derives from the story of a nobleman whose servants would prepare food and drink for him, he said.
“When he went to ask for a very refreshing drink, one with ice, he had around him various people including the famous Francesca, whose diminutive in Roman dialect is ‘checca’.”
French tourist Fabien Torcol said he loved the dessert, but “it’s not easy to pronounce,”
So how do you pronounce it? Think “gratta-kekka” – you can hear an example here.
Dining and Cooking