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Best Gelo di melone in London
“Watermelon pulp, sugar, starch, and jasmine water collapse into a cool Sicilian jelly served only in summer.”
What the real thing tastes like
Gelo di melone (Sicilian: gelu di muluni), also known as gelo d'anguria, is a Sicilian jelly dessert consisting of a watermelon pudding served throughout summer. Traditionally prepared on Ferragosto, it is also popular for the Saint Rosalia celebrations in the city of Palermo. Its basic ingredients are watermelon pulp, sugar (or honey), and starch, while pistachios, candied fruit, cinnamon, and jasmine water are often added. Jasmine is often added, in the pudding as jasmine water, and as a garnish with jasmine flowers. Small pieces of chocolate may be added to invoke watermelon seeds. It is commonly, although mistakenly, considered an inheritance of Arab influence dating to the Muslim period.
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Gelo di melone is a Sicilian summer jelly where watermelon pulp, sugar, and starch collapse into something between pudding and gel—cool, delicate, and deeply seasonal. Pistachios, candied fruit, and jasmine water drift through it; dark chocolate chips stand in for seeds. It's tradition on Ferragosto and Palermo's Saint Rosalia feast, though its true roots are Sicilian, not Arab as often assumed.
Order it here when it has
- served chilled throughout summer
- jasmine flowers as garnish
- chocolate-seed detail
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