Sciala Cori is a cold, sweet, non-alcoholic Sicilian drink that is not made much anymore.
It used used to be sold by men from carts in village squares. You’d bring your own glass from home to the cart.
The vendor would have a block of ice, from which he’d make shavings to put in your glass.
Then you could choose to have either milk sweetened with sugar poured over the ice, or, lemon juice sweetened with sugar. Sometimes mint syrup was added to the lemon-flavoured one for a bit of colour. [1]
Language Notes
“Sciala Cori” means “joy of the heart.”
Aka “sciala-cori”, “carapigna.”
Sources
[1] “mi sono informato con mio suocero (80 anni) e mi diceva che quando era bambino, nella piazza del paese, spesso c’era un venditore di “sciala cori “, si trattava di un blocco di ghiaccio che veniva grattato con un rastrellino, la parte grattugiata veniva messa nel bicchiere che si portavano da casa i compratori e veniva aggiunto succo di limone e zucchero, a volte per una nota di colore si versava sopra sciroppo alla menta.” — U sciala cori posting. User “Analogic” from Palermo. On Silician Caffe. Posted 10 August 2008. Retrieved October 2010 from http://sicilia-caffe.forumfree.it/?t=30908786.
Introduction to Sicilian Drinks. Sicilan Cooking. Retrieved October 2010 from http://siciliancookingplus.com/drinks/00_Sicilian_drinks.html
Touring Club of Italy. Authentic Sicily. Touring Editore, 2005. Page 157.