Scratchy

Let's find out what Roman gratichecca is, how it is prepared and what is the story behind this refreshing drink.

In Rome you just can't hear about granita. The capital has its own personal drink to refresh itself from the summer heat and it is scratchachecca. We could call it "Roman granita" but in reality it is very different from this preparation. Its roots date back to the ancient Romans when snow was used instead of ice and honey and fruit were added to flavor it.

Today it is a real institution and around the city there is no shortage of box offices supervised by the legendary figure of the scratchman who prepare it the old fashioned way. Making it at home is simple but you will need to use a mixer or an ice crusher. The important thing is to leave some coarse crystals, just as tradition dictates.

How to prepare the scratching recipe

1. First, take the ice out of the refrigerator at least 10 minutes before preparing it to avoid straining the device.
2. Blend or crush with the ice crusher until you obtain coarse crystals and divide into glasses.
3. Pour the syrup to fill the spaces, give a quick stir and serve immediately, decorating as desired with fresh fruit.

To flavor the scratch you can use syrups found on the market such as mint, orgeat, black cherry or almond or a more common fruit juice .

Origin and history of the Roman gratichecca

To trace the origins of this typical recipe from the Capital we must take a big leap back in time. Among the ancient Romans, the figure of the nevarolo stood out, i.e. the one who was responsible for recovering the snow from the mountains, bringing it to the city and keeping it in the neviere wrapped in straw. From these blocks of snow they made nivitate potiones , a sweet drink made from snow, honey and fresh fruit. Consider that Pliny the Elder already talks about it in his most famous book, the Naturalis Historia .

Continuing towards the present day, the poultryman Ruggieri conquered the entire French court of Caterina De Medici in the 16th century with a similar drink.

However, we have to go back to the early 1900s to find the recipe for scratch as we know it today. The name comes from the union of scratch and checca , a dialect term that indicates the large blocks of ice (even one meter long) that were once used to preserve food. In short, the ancestors of our refrigerators. The block was actually grated with a special scraper equipped with an ice container and the resulting crystals distributed into the glasses.

In fact, the main difference between the granita and the scratchachecca is precisely this. In the first all the ingredients are mixed and kept moving by a machine, the second involves adding a syrup to the ice only when serving it . However, it must be said that the most modern versions are obtained using a mixer or an ice crusher, just as we suggested.

Similar preparations are found throughout Italy although with different names: in Italian it would be iced (improperly called granatina); in Naples it is the rattata ; in Palermo the gratetella ; in Bari the gratemarianna ; granita in Livorno.

Today, certainly the most widespread is the granita. We are referring in particular to the Sicilian granita which stands out from all the others for its creaminess and intense flavour, especially given the genuine ingredients used to prepare it.

Grattachecca in Rome: where to taste the original

In recent times this fresh "street drink" has gone somewhat out of fashion. However, in the capital there are some historical places where it is possible to taste the original Roman scratch. The oldest is “Alla Fonte d'Oro” active since 1913 and located on the Lungotevere Raffaello Sanzio. The gratichecca of Sora Mirella in Lungotevere dell'Anguillara (the one with berries is famous) is among the most popular together with that of Sora Maria , in the Prati district.

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