Italian ice, also known as
water ice (particularly in
Philadelphia and the
Delaware Valley), is a sweetened frozen
dessert made with fruit (often from concentrates, juices or
purées) or other natural or artificial food flavorings, similar to
sorbet. Italian ice is not
shaved ice that is flavored; rather, it is made by the same process by which
ice cream is made: freezing the ingredients while mixing them. Italian ice is similar to
sorbet but differs from American-style sherbet in that it does not contain
dairy or
egg ingredients, though it may contain egg white. Common flavors include
blue raspberry,
cherry,
lemon,
mango,
orange,
strawberry, and
watermelon, with numerous other flavors available.