It was the Arabs who brought to Sicily during their domination, a rather primordial form of what we today call “sorbet”.
In reality it was pure and simple snow with fruit or milk juices. True ice cream, as we know it today, was born in Aci Trezza, thanks to Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, a Sicilian fisherman and chef.
His intuition, in fact, suggested that, when making sorbets, use sugar instead of honey, and salt mixed with ice to prolong their shelf life.
In 1686, his fame took him to Paris and he decided to open the “Café Procope”, the oldest café in Europe.
His specialty? Obviously Sicilian ice cream is enriched with the addition of milk, chocolate, coffee, but above all with the unmistakable flavours of Sicilian products, including pistachio, almonds, oranges and lemons.
