Coffee? What's that?

 

My blog is called Cappuccino and brioche because I love cappuccino and brioche, my daughter chose it because she knows how much I love that time of day. My mother called it elevenses because at 11 o clock in the morning we would stop for a coffee break.  That was how I grew up, tea for breakfast, coffee at 11 o clock then tea in the afternoon. The sound of the kettle was music to our ears. We loved it. We usually had instant coffee but as time went by we would have filter coffee or a cafetiere.

Over the years coffee has changed quite a lot in England.  Once when I was having lunch in a pub with my mum, the wiatress came to ask us if we wanted dessert. We both said we would like just coffee. She looked puzzled. There was a silence. She asked us what sort of coffee. We said just coffee. Then we all looked at each other and laughed as she reeled off all the  choices we had:- flat white,latte, cappuccino, americano, espresso, filter and so on.

In Italy a similar thing has happened. Coffee means espresso. If you go into a bar and ask for 'un caffè' you will be given an espresso. Fragrant, dark and warming to be downed in one go and then get on with what you were doing. A shot to the system, a bounce back and a spring in your step.

My weekly treat is a cappuccino and a brioche with a friend. The cappuccino has to be hot to warrant sitting chatting for a respectable length of time. You have to ask to have it hot though , 'un cappuccino molto caldo per favore.' I don't know why but I don't like all the froth on the top so I ask for 'cappuccino molto caldo, senza schiuma, per favore.'

This might be met with an eye roll from the waitress.  

There are lots of different coffees in Italy too now,

un caffè macchiato would be a shot of espresso in a small cup with froth on the top.

A macchiatone would be the same thing but more of it in a larger cup.

An Americano, is coffee with water

Still, many people will ask for 'un caffè' especially men. It's just not macho to ask for a cappuccino, unless it's for breakfast and accompanied by a brioche and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

If you ever travel through Italy and have an early start it is a real delight to stop at an Italian motorway service station and have your 'colazione', breakfast. As you enter the 'autogrill'  you will be met by the tantalizing aroma of Italian coffee and warm brioche and the sight of mounds of bright oranges from Sicily.

Enjoy your coffee everyone today whatever way you like it.