Italian ice
Italian ice is a sweetened treat made with fruit or other natural or artificial food flavorings, similar to sorbet.
Italian ice is similar to sorbet and snow cones, but differs from American-style sherbet in that it does not contain dairy or egg ingredients. It is derived from the Sicilian granita, a related dessert which was brought by Italian immigrants to the United States. Common flavors include lemon, cherry, orange, watermelon, blue raspberry, mango, strawberry, and blackberry, with numerous other flavors available.
Finely granulated flavored ice is known as water ice in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Like Italian ice, water ice is similarly derived from granita brought to Philadelphia by Italian immigrants. Though largely synonymous with Italian ice, Philadelphia area “water ice” has also been described as a specific type of Italian ice originating in Philadelphia, or a "variation on the more broadly-accepted Italian ice."Nutrition
Except when made from fruit or fruit juice, Italian ice is defined in US law as a food of minimal nutritional value.
