Coffee in
Italy
The coffee in Italy, is a real institution. We drink it
often, at home and away, and the drink is almost always a time to socialize and
meet. 'I'll buy you a coffee' is one of the phrases that you feel
pronounce it more often. Sin is a wrong sentence. In Italy there is no 'one'
coffee, but infinite.
Try to convince an Italian moka coffee aficionado to enjoy
an espresso at the bar.
Can not, you will lose.
Mocha or espresso? Question boils down to whether you are
atheists or Catholics, in Italy.
Because coffee is a cult, it is a categorical imperative, it
is a dogma: all, including children, know which type they prefer and defend the
superiority.
Exercise in style number 2, to understand better the
Italian identity.
Take a taste for Italian - blindfolded - an espresso coffee
made with mocha. Everybody will tell you that they are able to tell them
apart at first taste. Challenge them, even money. You will win easy because
whatever one may say and think my countrymen, only very few experts are able to
do so.
A demonstration of how strong (and erroneous) popular
beliefs.
And after you if you Copernican or Galilean, if one worships the gurgle of the 'machine' home to be prepared as a ritual, or if you are incorruptible followers espresso bar, the one with the froth on the surface and looking creamy, it's time declinations. Get ready, are almost endless.
Exercise in style number 3
Look at the face of a bartender when an Italian asks:
'coffee'.
Questioning look, right? The question will certainly be inquisitive veiled
incredulity as follows: 'Normal?' Of course not! Anything but normal! Narrow, long time.
Stained hot, but also cold. In large bowl, glass. Double.
Cold and shaken. Cold, with milk. Cold, with ice. Cold,
period. With a glass of water at hand.Natural, no, sparkling water.American (here are a few, though).With cream. Liquid .... or mounted.With cold milk separately. Correct grappa or sambuca.
I could go on ad infinitum, and naturally I avoided the
regional variations. The Neapolitan coffee is REALLY a religion, and as such
should be treated: books, movies, lyrics have sung the praise.
Exercise Style Number 4
Ask an Italian how to make a coffee with mocha.If it is a ritual, will even have its own rules.Thought wrong. Every Italian, and I mean EVERY other than to
say, he knows his rules. He also knows to explain the meaning and consequences.Too bad that it knows how to make perfectly even his
neighbor, with the same conviction of knowing how to prepare the perfect
coffee. Of course, the rules of the two do not coincide completely.
I saw him prepare with tap water, spring water, mineral
water, even rain water.
I have seen the mocha filling completely, just below the
filter, just above the filter, half, three-quarters. I've seen put the coarsely
ground coffee, end, middle, a little 'and a bit'. On the press or not press the
powder once filled the filter there is a vast literature.There is also the perversion of drill holes, or cuts, in the
coffee once it has been pressed.There are the fans of the mound, which pay much coffee to
form a small pyramid that then to press with the upper part of the moka,
provided with interlocking screw.Screw the right, little or much, even here, it is a matter
of taste.How cooker also high, medium or low.
I saw keep the lid raised, apparently favors the evaporation
of water, but I have to say that at least on the lid lowered there is unanimous
consent.The exact moment when the mocha remove from fire is a
theorem, more or less equivalent to that which establishes the correct minutes
for al dente pasta.And now it is ready, you think it's over? You still need to
choose whether or not to mix the mocha.
And finally, once in the cup (yes, but it will be fine or
coarse porcelain? Hot or cold?) ... That you just have to choose the type of
sugar.And then if you drink it hot or scalding almost taste it slowly,
little by little, as it cools.You sucked the spoon after mixing?The bevevate you left in the cup while keeping both with the
thumb and forefinger of his right hand? Sure you want to continue reading?
Now that you are sufficiently confused, I want to know how I
prefer it?
Well, naturally depends on the time of day.
In the morning macchiato hot, unless it's Sunday, because at
that point will be a Moroccan. After lunch, narrow and without sugar. In the
afternoon and in the evening I abstain I take long, warm and natural water
separately. On Sunday I drink just after lunch, along with sugar cane. Ah, of course I vote for the party of the bar. Except
Sundays: after lunch with the family I can appreciate also that of mocha.
PS: I just made a few friends to read this article. Believe it or not, they were able to find many shortcomings and omissions.
THEM, they drink better, and
otherwise.
History
The name coffee comes from the Turkish
pronunciation of the Arabic word qavhè gahwah, which means drink exciting,
challenging.
Mostly there are many legends about the origin of
coffee: the best known is that one of the monks of the Monastery Chehodet in
Yemen, having learned from a pastor that his goats and his camels are kept
bright at night if they eat certain berries, those prepared with a drink in
order to stay awake to pray longer.
The coffee spread to Europe before arriving in
Vienna in 1686, and later to Paris, where, at the court of Louis XIV, the drink
became a pleasant habit. It took
several years for the coffee would spread even among the lower classes, because
of the many conflicts of interest and rumors about the damage that the drink
would result in the organism.
In Italy, the coffee was very well received in
Venice, where he is believed to have opened the first "Coffee Shop"
in 1640, although some believe that it has been opened previously in Livorno. The success was immediate and coffee, both as a
beverage and as a local, it spread in every Italian city.
In 1902 the invention of the espresso machine,
the work of G. Bezzera of Milan, allowed to brew coffee according to the
current recipe.
Consumed as a beverage in the West as little more
than three hundred years, the previous history of coffee is blurred between
different legends. What is certain is that the now-famous green seedling
originated in the Ethiopian region of Kaffa, from which, later on, it spread to
Egypt and Arabia. It is from this region could derive the word coffee, the
sound remains the same in almost all the languages of the world. The etymological root, however, could also be sought in kàwek Arabic word which means 'exciting', this
thesis is founded on the principal properties of the drink, recognized since
ancient times.
In Europe, the coffee makes its appearance in the
sixteenth century, but the introduction of the "Arabian wine" in many
countries lived mixed fortunes. From the beginning, in fact, the Church accused
him of being the "devil's drink", until the end of the 1500 Pope
Clement VIII, after tasting a cup, he decided to benedirne consumption.
Historically, its spread can be traced back to
the defeat of Turkish forces in the siege of Vienna in 1683. And it is
precisely in Austria that you begin to appreciate the taste of the new drink,
benefiting from the large amount of coffee left behind by the Turks. In 1700
the famous Café Vienna, Paris and Venice, become famous, places reserved for
the social life and cultural exchange. Since then, the coffee becomes
synonymous with pleasure and aggregation, an added value that still accompanies
him. Legends about the origins of coffee
In every legend is a grain of truth, as in any
historical document, there is a component legendary. As always, the origin of
coffee are in a circle several versions, but you can not say that one is more
proven than others. Sure, the first mention of the origin of coffee dates back
to biblical times and then the 'Odyssey tells the beautiful Helen served to
Telemachus, to comfort him, a drink composed of wine and a black substance that
Homer called "Pitcher".
The Legend
The most widespread legend remains that of 1400
which tells of a pastor of a Yemeni, who noticed that his goats, after grazing
the leaves and berries of a certain tree, remained awake and restless all
night. The discovery, reported in the prior of the convent near, he served for
some time to keep the monks awake during the long nights of prayer, thanks to
infusions obtained by boiling the berries containing coffee beans.
What is certain is that, although initially the
export was forbidden in order not to spread the secret of a plant considered
magical and precious, knowledge of the properties of piantasi have rapidly
spread from one convent to another. And already in the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries, the coffee as a beverage was much spread throughout the Arab world
(Saudi, Yemen, Syria, Egypt).
Another legend, no less famous, says Mohammed,
afflicted with sleeping sickness, has received a black drink by the Archangel
Gabriel. After drinking it he had the strength to defeat forty horsemen and
conquer forty girls.
The historical fact is that it was the Arabs of
Yemen to spread the use of coffee in the fifteenth century, but they were
pilgrims from Mecca to export the drink in Cairo, Egypt and Syria.
ASIA: An ancient legend has it that many
centuries ago an Indian named Baba Budan who was in Saudi Arabia, he secretly
took seven seeds of coffee and if they're tied around the abdomen before
embarking on the return journey. When I got home, Baba has given rise to
different crops of the plant, previously unknown in India.
The coffee was subsequently introduced in Java,
Indonesia by the Dutch (1696). Legend has it that the first seed transported to
Java was one of the seven stolen in Saudi Baba Budan.
Mythology aside, the coffee imported into
Indonesia has allowed this country to become a one of the largest producers in
the world, thanks to its high quality.
The first coffee in Europe: Ingenuity and
determination were mixed with honey and coffee in cups Kolschitzky, the first
European coffee. After the expulsion of the Ottomans who were besieging Vienna
(1683), in their camps were found several sacks with strange beans dark that no
one had ever seen and no one knew who mainly use.
It was just Kolschitzky, a Pole who had long
lived in Turkey, took the beans and immediately open a place where we needed a
drink black and bitter, which understandably was not appreciated at first. But
given the need to meet to submit to the fickle tastes of the Viennese and
equally determined to yield the "spoils of war" bags of coffee,
polish blended coffee with milk and honey, getting a drink very similar to
cappuccino today.
The immediate success did then rise to the first
true "Coffee" European, called "The Blue Bottle".
"Hot as hell, black as the desire, pure as an angel, sweet as love": the coffee
The invitation for coffee is the most informal of
all, including tea, which includes a snack more specific.
The coffee is served directly from the coffee into the cups empty of guests in front of them and not in the kitchen. On the tray of coffee must also lay a small jug of cold milk and sugar, even better if you offer two sweeteners: refined cane.
The sugar adds it to the lady of the house, after asking every single guest as they want. It mixes moving the spoon from the top down and not turning from right to left or vice versa.
Totally wrong on the part of the hostess, offer chocolates with coffee, cocoa tends to melt and do not fully appreciate the texture and in the aroma that characterizes it, we should instead prepare small meringues or butter biscuits.
In full respect of the rules of etiquette, the drink should be served a second time if the guests want it.
The guest will enjoy with extreme grace, hold the saucer in one hand, which will go on to lay the spoon after mixing coffee (without having first tasted a spoon!) And with the thumb and forefinger hold up his cup.
The little finger should never be raised, contrary to what you might think, is not a sign of great sophistication, but is an act awkward.
The coffee is served directly from the coffee into the cups empty of guests in front of them and not in the kitchen. On the tray of coffee must also lay a small jug of cold milk and sugar, even better if you offer two sweeteners: refined cane.
The sugar adds it to the lady of the house, after asking every single guest as they want. It mixes moving the spoon from the top down and not turning from right to left or vice versa.
Totally wrong on the part of the hostess, offer chocolates with coffee, cocoa tends to melt and do not fully appreciate the texture and in the aroma that characterizes it, we should instead prepare small meringues or butter biscuits.
In full respect of the rules of etiquette, the drink should be served a second time if the guests want it.
The guest will enjoy with extreme grace, hold the saucer in one hand, which will go on to lay the spoon after mixing coffee (without having first tasted a spoon!) And with the thumb and forefinger hold up his cup.
The little finger should never be raised, contrary to what you might think, is not a sign of great sophistication, but is an act awkward.
The coffee as a beverage
Hot, cold, icy, paired with sweet ingredients,
or strong, as some liquor, also expressed (or the American long, sometimes)
becomes an ingredient in cocktails bright, sweet tooth in a cup of steaming,
which give tone, rinfrancano, cheer hours after dinner or magical moments of
relaxation.
Discover our recipes dedicated to providing
drinks coffee.
VALDOSTANO
6 cups of Espresso, 6 glasses of grappa, 4
glasses of Grand-Marnier, 4 glasses of genepy, Sugar, Lemon Peel
Put the cup of friendship (grolla) 2 teaspoons of
sugar per person, then pour the hot coffee, grappa, the genepy and
Grand-Marnier. Heated by the
steam spout of the coffee machine, but being careful not to boil the drink; add the lemon peel, flamed, cover the pan with
its lid and serve. Not being able
to use the steam, the grolla heated in a water bath to allow the beverage to
achieve sufficient heat to ignite the spirits.
IRISH COFFEE
Sugar cane, Irish Whiskey, a cup of Espresso,
Fresh Cream
In a large glass, dissolve 2 teaspoons of brown
sugar with a measure (4 cl) of Irish Whiskey and a cup of hot coffee. Complete the drink with the addition of fresh
cream, sliding slowly down the back of a teaspoon.? Thus, the cream will float
on the coffee should be served immediately, without stirring.
CALABRESE
4 cups of ground coffee for espresso, liquorice
root, 6 teaspoons of sugar cane, Cognac
Chopped licorice, reducing it almost powder; add to the prepared ground coffee and espresso. Meanwhile, mix sugar with a Cognac deciliter,
bring on high heat, flamed, let it boil until the liquid is reduced to half,
then pour in 4 cups, adding the coffee immediately with liquorice, hot.
FROZEN CAPPUCCINO
a double Espresso, Fresh Cream, Coffee Liqueur,
Sugar
Pick up in the blender the cold espresso coffee,
4 tablespoons of cream, a teaspoon of sugar, 4 tablespoons coffee liqueur and
plenty of crushed ice. Start the
machine at maximum speed for 2 ', pour into glasses and serve cappuccino.
MEXICAN
Roasted coffee, coarsely ground, 50 g, cinnamon
stick, sugar cane
In a quart of boiling water, put the coffee
powder, half a stick of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar; stir, let boil again, turn off, return to the
boil then filtered coffee, pouring it directly into the cups; garnish with a bit of cinnamon and serve.
MILK SHAKE 'THE SPICES
half a liter of coffee narrow, very strong 150 g
fresh cream, Cinnamon Stick, Cloves, Sugar, peppercorns
Pour the hot coffee into a carafe in which you
put 2 sticks of cinnamon, 4 cloves, some peppercorns. Keep the jar covered, in the refrigerator until
the coffee has cooled, strain it and then pick it up in a blender; add the cream, a few tablespoons of crushed ice,
a tablespoon of sugar; Blend at
maximum speed for the time necessary to obtain a frothy drink. Transfer it into the jug ice and serve
immediately.
SLUSH
half a liter of coffee narrow, strong, Sugar
Syrup 200 g, Fresh Cream (to taste)
Mix the hot coffee, freshly made with sugar syrup; let cool in
the fridge, then pour into ice cream and start the machine according to the
instructions, making sure that the coffee does not solidify in a block, but
remains grainy, almost creamy. Spread the granita in glasses rather capable and, if desired, garnish
with whipped cream large, previously mounted firmly, and a few threads of lemon
peel.
SHAKERATO MINT
a cup of Espresso Coffee, Sugar, Grappa, leaves
of mint
Gather in a shaker cold coffee, a spoonful of
crushed ice, a tablespoon of Grappa, a teaspoon of sugar; shaken vigorously, and long, to make frothy
coffee; then pour it
into a tall glass, garnish with a few fresh mint leaves and serve immediately,
before it loses its foam.
BORGIA
a cup of Espresso, a cup of milk, cocoa and
cinnamon powder, Sugar, Whipped Cream, Orange Peel
Put in a glass spiral of orange peel. Dissolve a teaspoon of sugar in the milk and one
of cocoa, then heat the milk foam with the steam from the machine caffè.Versate
together in the glass, the hot frothy milk and espresso; garnish with a dollop of cream and a sprinkling
of cinnamon.
COFFEE BREAK
a cup of Espresso Coffee, Cocoa Powder, Sugar,
Rum, Coffee Beans
Pour the coffee into a shaker and a tablespoon of
crushed ice; shaken
vigorously in a shaker then add half a teaspoon of cocoa, one of sugar, 2
tablespoons of rum and still crushed ice; shake, pour the coffee into the glass, garnish with some beans and serve. (In the photo to the left in the cup)
Brulot
Ingredients: serves 4
4 cups of Espresso, long, orange and lemon peel,
a stick of Cinnamon, Cloves, Sugar, Brandy
Simmer for 2 'a glass of brandy flavored with a
spiral of orange peel, lemon, a few cloves, a small piece of cinnamon, 4
teaspoons sugar, so inflamed the liquor and, in the meantime, pour the hot
coffee into the cups; add the brandy
just turned off and serve immediately. (In the photo, the cup)
HAZEL NUT
Coffee powder, hazelnuts powder, sugar, essence
of Hazelnut and Vanilla, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Flakes
Prepare the long coffee (American), filtering 4
teaspoons of powder and 2 nuts powder with a cup of boiling water. Pick it up in the glass, aromatizzatelo with a
few drops of essence of vanilla and hazelnuts, addolcitelo with 2 teaspoons of
sugar, complete it with a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate shavings. (In the photo, the glass on the right)
VIENNA
half a liter of strong Espresso, Fresh cream 200
g, 100 g Chocolate, Sugar, Cinnamon and Cocoa powder
Melt the chocolate, knead in cream with the
addition of a third of the cream, add the hot coffee, a spoonful of sugar, stir
and pour into the cups. Complete the
rest of the whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa and cinnamon. (In the photo, in punch glasses).
Strengthening
Ingredients: 1 dose
Gin 40 g, 10 g Pernod, Fresh cream 10 g, Instant
coffee powder
Shake the liqueurs, cream, half a teaspoon of
instant coffee and some ice cubes.? Pour the cocktail into the glass, filtering
it. (In the photo,
in the coupes)
MEETING
a double Espresso, Dark Rum, Dark Chocolate,
Brown Sugar
Dissolve 15 g of chocolate and a sugar cube in a
glass punch, pouring hot coffee; flavored with half a glass of rum and serve.
EGG NOG
4 cups of coffee long, 3 Eggs, Milk, Sugar,
Brandy, Dark Rum, Nutmeg, Fresh Cream
Whip the eggs with half a cup of sugar; unite a cup of hot milk, you heat the cream in a
double boiler, then pass it through a sieve, collecting it in a bowl;mix with a
glass of brandy, as rum, coffee, then pour into glasses and complete it with
whipped cream and a lightly beaten grated nutmeg. To taste, garnish with cinnamon.
MILK SHAKE 'Amaretto
a cup of Espresso Coffee, Milk, Cocoa Powder,
Sugar, 2 Macaroons
Whisk together the coffee with a glass of milk,
macaroons, half a teaspoon of cocoa, one of sugar and plenty of crushed ice. Serve immediately with a straw.
Recipes to accompany the coffee ...
The timing of the coffee can be entertained by a
very special touch, which makes the final act of a lunch or a dinner invitation
after a unique moment.
It 's time to prepare the digestive sugar for
those who have exceeded the portions with some sugar and very
special, to be served to flavor and sweeten the drink.
Also, you can not serve coffee without a small selection of sweets, which are biscuits, small cakes or classic chocolates.
Whatever recipe you choose to prepare them, it is certainly a challenging job.But with the right advice the homemade chocolates will be a source of pride to serve with pride at the time of the coffee. Choose a good dark chocolate classic natural and not those trendy, very bitter, crunchy, a little dark and not suitable for tempering.
All equipment must be on hand, and in particular a probe thermometer to measure the correct processing temperatures, pans, spatulas and especially molds perfectly clean and dry.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot but never boiling water (you can melt the chocolate in a microwave, but it's necessary to know the precise power of the tool, in order to avoid damaging overheating of the product). Once ready, cools the chocolates in a very cool, dry and ventilated place. Keep them in a hermetically sealed housing, of glass or plastic, well spaced from one another. Keep them at room temperature, the refrigerator would in fact come out cocoa butter, creating an unsightly white coating.
Orange sugar in alcohol and coffee
Ingredients:
1 kg of sugar cubes
1 liter of alcohol
2 oranges
30 coffee beans
Ingredients:
1 kg of sugar cubes
1 liter of alcohol
2 oranges
30 coffee beans
Procedure:
Obtain with a vegetable peeler peel from two oranges, avoiding the bitter white part.
Place the cubes in a jar to brew alcohol. Flavored with orange zest and add the coffee beans.
Close the jar and keep for a few weeks before consuming.
The pure alcohol you can easily find at the supermarket, or in the well-stocked grocery stores. Instead of orange and coffee sugar can be flavored with lemon zest and mint.
Cinnamon sugar
Ingredients:
750 g of sugar
0.5 l of water
20 g of cinnamon powder
3 cinnamon sticks
Ingredients:
750 g of sugar
0.5 l of water
20 g of cinnamon powder
3 cinnamon sticks
Procedure:
In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil with the sugar, cinnamon powder and sticks.
Stir constantly until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan.
Halfway through cooking, remove the cinnamon sticks.
Remove from heat and pour into a rectangular metal container bottom. Level. As soon as it is cold cut it into chunks and store in a tightly closed jar.
Do you want to serve a cup of coffee really different from the usual?
And 'then it's time to try these two alternatives
greedy and unusual, that will remind the guests and give your invitation a'
little bit extra 'unforgettable.
Cafe Viva mexico
Ingredients for 4 people:
40 g of acacia honey
4 cups of strong coffee
40 cl of dark rum
4 cups of strong coffee
40 cl of dark rum
Procedure:
Prepare the coffee and pour boiling water in the mug again.
Stir to dissolve the honey and serve.
A fine meal of all respect, to serve when you do not want to prepare the sweet but nonetheless feel the desire to satisfy the palate.
Gourmet Coffee
Ingredients for 4 people:
80 g of dark chocolate
4 cups of strong coffee
1 can of spray cream
cocoa powder
4 cups of strong coffee
1 can of spray cream
cocoa powder
Procedure:
Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute
on defrost function.
In four glasses pour the melted chocolate.
Prepare the coffee and pour boiling water into the glasses again.
Sprinkle on coffee cream and sprinkle with cocoa.
Serve.
In four glasses pour the melted chocolate.
Prepare the coffee and pour boiling water into the glasses again.
Sprinkle on coffee cream and sprinkle with cocoa.
Serve.
Put the spoon to the bottom of the glass and
enjoy the three flavors that come together in a mouthful of infinite sweetness.
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Visions of Venice
Venezia Unica is the new city pass introduced by the City of Venice to access local transport, cultural and tourist services. Venezia Unica is designed for both Residents and City Regulars, and for Tourists.
There’s something heart-stopping about leaving the mainland behind you and crossing the Venetian lagoon towards this unlikely jewel in its marshy wilderness, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re doing it on a boat or in a train, for the first time or on a repeat visit.
Overview
Once in Venice, you’re faced with an embarrassment of
riches. How many other areas of not much more than five square kilometres can
boast artistic and architectural marvels in such concentration? You won’t know
where to begin (though we hope this guide will help).
But as you delve into the Venetian labyrinth, that won’t be
your only dilemma. The better you get to know the city, the more confidently
you venture off the well-beaten trails and into the backstreets (and you should
do this as soon as possible, for it’s here that many of Venice’s most
rewarding, lesser-known treasures lie), the more you’ll have to cope with
famously tetchy veneziani who grumble as they push past you on their crowded
streets and bridges, and charge you a tourist ‘premium’ in their already
expensive restaurants and bars. However much you love Venice, it isn’t always
easy to love the Venetians.
Ironically, this is because the locals want you to see their
city the same way that they do: these proud citizens want Venice to be
marvelled at and appreciated by cultural connoisseurs, not goggled at by
raucous day-trippers to an historic theme park; they want to be considered a
normal city with a stunning, uplifting difference.
In context
Venice’s history is marked by parabolas. From a group of
fishing huts to world mercantile leader to washed-up backwater; from mecca for
curious travellers to crumbling has-been to major tourist attraction. And if
its cultural offerings are on an upwards curve, its social scene seemed to be
dipping ever downwards. We ask whether a new breed of dedicated Venetians can
help avert creeping Disneyfication.
Sights
In a relatively tiny
area, Venice harbours a wealth of artistic and architectural wonders that even
many large nations couldn’t lay claim to. Some of Venice’s unique and
overwhelming sights are displayed in showcase churches and major galleries.
Others are harder to find, concealed along warrens of medieval streets. Arm
yourself with a map and a sense of adventure.Hope you enjoy it !!!
Thanks
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