Lto scratchya mix of crushed ice and fruit syrups, is perhaps less known in the world of Sicilian granita, but it actually has an ancient history and is a symbol of the city of Rome. Indeed, already the Roman patricians, who had sophisticated and refined tastes, were greedy for nivatae potionesa sweet made with snow, honey and fresh fruit which he also talks about Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia describing it as one “A drink consisting of finely crushed ice and honey with another portion of ice and fruit juice”.
The grattachecca from ancient Rome to today
The unstoppable passion for the iced drink then continued its run over time reaching the sixteenth century with the poultry vendor Ruggeri and his “Sugared and scented water ice”which conquered the discerning palates of French court of Catherine de ‘Mediciand then beyond, up to the ‘700 herendo Procopio de ‘Coltelli invented his own “Frozen water”.
The snow needed to make the ice came from the mountains and was collected, packed in straw and transported downstream by the nevaroli. Once it arrived at its destination, the snow was pressed and stored in the so-called nevierefresh and often underground environments. Until the nineteenth century, shortly before the invention of the refrigerator, it was still possible to see the typical barrozzethe carts pulled by oxen which, traveling along “the ways of the snow”, delivered the ice of the Lucretili Mountains in the area of Tivoli and in that of the Castelli Romani.
The origin of the name
The correct name in Italian for this delicious cold delicacy would be “ice-cold”, so you may be wondering why the name “grattachecca”. “Scratch, scratch the queer” were the words that a husband of theancient Rome pronounced to his wife to ask her to scratch the “queer”, or the block of ice recovered from the mountains and stored undergroundto prepare the famous refreshing drink.
Don’t call it granita
For the Romans the grattachecca is “sacred”, thanks to the long history that represents it, and even if often “the profane” associate it with the granita, there are numerous differences both in the preparation and in the tasting. In the granita the juices, water and sugar are mixed together, frozen and then chopped, while in the grattachecca syrup is mainly used and any juices are added only after the ice has been processed.
Even today the real grattachecca is prepared strictly by hand in the historic kiosks of the Trastevere, Testaccio, Prati districts and in the area of Ponte Milvio and Trieste.
The grattachecca around Italy
Unusually Refreshing Summer Tour Gin Scratchy
Over time, traditional flavors such as syrups, lemon and almond milk have been joined by more particular and gourmet ones such as licorice, kiwi, coconut or mango and even those that include gin, as in the case of the novelty of summer 2022: the signed scratcher Hendrick’s Gin. It is a fresh proposal to be enjoyed by the spoon, made with crushed ice, 3 ml of Hendrick’s and 6 ml of syrup available in three variants: lemon, cucumber and rose. The grattachecca was in fact chosen as hero from “Unusually Refreshing Summer Tour” organized by Hendrick’s Gin in program from 22 July to 18 September. «We carry around Italy the perfect mix between tradition and new flavors to fight the grip of the heat », declared Solomiya, Hendrick’s Gin Brand Ambassador Italy.
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