It gets hot in Sicily in the summer. And the spring. And the fall. And when it’s hot, and you’re hard at work or hard at play, you sweat and you lose salts and minerals.
To balance the equation, Sicilians long ago invented Seltz e Limone, a cooling and replenishing mixture of sparkling water, lots of fresh lemon juice, maybe a spritz of some other flavor, and a vigorous shake of salt. Can’t be bottled: Must be made this way, on the spot. And we never saw it in any other kind of cup!
It’s probably possible to make it indoors, but we never saw it anywhere except on carts and ‘chioschi’—kiosks. On the waterfront in Syracuse. In squares and parks in Catania. And probably a thousand places we didn’t go.
This one had tamarind flavor added…
There are, apparently, arguments over whether the water must be naturally carbonated or not, but there’s unanimity that it only works with Sicily’s own and wonderful lemons. And from us, no argument that once you make up your mind to try it, it is instant relief!
This kiosk is where that particular seltz came from. It’s in Catania, which has more chioschi of various kinds than we saw anywhere else. Here are a few:
And possibly the best-stocked newsstand I’ve ever seen…
