Italian ice
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Italian ice is a summertime frozen treat generally consisting of flavoured ice. Italian Ice should be smooth and sweet and its texture should be uniform throughout. The most common flavours are cherry, coconut, lemon and rainbow although speciality shops sell a wide array of flavours such as cantaloupe, orange and chocolate. Italian Ice should never contain any non-dairy creamer or high fructose corn syrup. It always contains pure cane sugar.
In New York City, this treat can be found just about anywhere and is usually served in pizzerias or speciality Italian ice shops. Other variations are served by street vendors.
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[edit] Similar foods
[edit] Water ice
A similar treat can be found in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known as water ice. It is also a frozen dessert made by mixing flavorings (typically fruit juices but also coffee and chocolate) with ice. A popular variant, called "gelati," layers water ice and frozen custard, frozen yogurt, or soft-serve ice cream together as a parfait.
Water ice is served predominantly in the Philadelphia and the Elizabeth, New Jersey areas but has recently expanded south along the eastern seaboard and into Florida. During the warmer months, water ice is just as popular as ice cream, and can be purchased at many locations, including pizza shops, ice cream parlors, water ice shops, and even smaller convenience stores. Popular flavours include Lemon, Mango, Chocolate, and Cherry, however most shops offer a wide variety including Green Apple, Blue Raspberry, Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Chip, Creamsicle, and many other flavours. The flavour variety is an important aspect which separates water ice from other cold treats (such as a snow cone); most water ice shops have around ten flavours which change from time to time.
Water ice should not be confused with a "snow cone," as water ice has a much smoother, wetter consistency, whereas snow cones are harder and sometimes crunchy. At the same time, it should be differentiated from Italian ice, which is even smoother than water ice, more like ice cream. Despite these differences, water ice and Italian ice are often used interchangeably in the Philadelphia area. In areas farther north (New York, New England), this distinction is made.
[edit] Italian lemonade
In Chicago, Illinois, a similar summer refresher is called Italian lemonade. It's typically made by mixing crushed or chopped fruit and/or flavouring with a frozen lemon slush made from fresh lemon juice, sugar and water. In most cases, the base is lemon, even when other flavours, such as watermelon, cantaloupe, raspberry coconut and even chocolate are added.
Italian lemonades can be smooth or a bit granular, but they are typically loose enough to be drunk through a straw. Even so, some people use the terms "Italian lemonade" and "Italian ice" interchangeably.
The frozen beverage is typically sold in free-standing Italian lemonade stands and some Italian beef stands.
[edit] United States
Italian ice, unlike shaved ice products such as snow cones or kakigori, is very smooth. The flavouring is mixed into the ice before or during freezing, instead of being added at the point of sale. Special machines are often used to blend it as it freezes. It is best stored at very cold temperatures near 0F and served around 13F to 16F.
[edit] See also
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