“Mangia la frutta, che ti fa bene!”(Eat fruit, it’s good for you). I can still hear my grandmother telling me this while encouraging me to eat fresh fruits picked directly from her trees in campagna. How true though, fruit is such a healthy and delicious treat. We often take it for granted, and children can be resistant to eating it. But what if you turn fruit into something with a completely different texture, frozen yet smooth, something you can eat with a spoon and it will taste like you are eating a spoonful of fruit? Well, that’s sorbetto!

Sorbetto is a simple cold dessert made from water, flavored with fruit pulp or fruit juice, and some sugar. Its consistency is a bit denser and icier than gelato because of its high-water content (which is the reason it feels colder than gelato when eaten) but the process of making these two famous Italian frozen desserts is basically the same; natural flavors and churned. Not surprisingly, fruity flavors are particularly popular during the hot Sicilian summer because they’re fresher and lighter. Sorbetto, because of its ingredients makes it an excellent option when you are feeling dehydrated or want a healthy snack after exercising.

Sorbetto is considered a precursor of fruit gelato (something I don’t currently make at L’Arte because I prefer sorbetto) but has a semi-dense preparation.   The origins of sorbetto are more ancient than gelato: during the 11th century, the Arabs developed “shrb”, or sugar syrup, a base for making fruit sorbets, medical herbs, spices and flowers, the predecessor of sorbetto, which became very popular in Sicily during its Arab period. The sorbetto was therefore not born as the dessert we know today, but rather as a thirst-quenching drink.  That is why, in the Mediterranean region, sorbetto has long been known for its ability to keep you hydrated. The Arabic verb “shariba”, literally means “to drink” and is the original source word of today’s Italian word “sorbetto” and the English “sorbet”.

In Italy and Europe, a sorbetto (or sorbet in English) is also often served as either a palate cleanser (lemon flavored) between courses or after the main course (coffee). In many Italian restaurants, it is also served mixed with a liquor. Some fancy restaurants will offer sorbetto in a flute to be drunk with a straw; others in a cup to be eaten with a spoon. In fact, during wedding banquets in Italy, a glass of lemon sorbetto is served between the fish and meat dishes. Mostly however, in Sicily, sorbetto is a stand-alone cold dessert that is always a dairy and egg free treat.  Naturally, it is popular among vegans, those who are lactose intolerant, and anyone who is simply thirsty. So next time your kids resist eating their fruit bring them to L’Arte, I guarantee you… they will love our fruit sorbetti and change their minds about fruit!

Chef Andrea