Although granita—frozen Sicilian dessert similar to sorbetto—is enjoyed throughout Sicily, the city of Messina is often dubbed as its spiritual home, and apart from typical flavors such as lemon, strawberry, chocolate, peach, mulberry, and pistachio, the most common specialty associated with the city is the coffee-flavored granita.

In Messina, granita has a coarser structure, and the coffee-flavored combination is often called mezza con panna, which translates as half with cream. This name stems from the ancient practice of serving granita in larger glasses and those who would prefer smaller portions would often order only half (mezza).

This size later became a standard and granita is nowadays usually served in regular water glasses. Interestingly, even though the name does not specify, mezza con panna only refers to granita with coffee. This frozen sweet treat is often topped with unsweetened whipped cream, and it comes served with Italian brioche (brioscia) on the side.

Although it can be enjoyed as a regular dessert, Sicilians prefer to eat granita di caffè as a sweet breakfast option.