Gioconda, "Divine Comedy", cappuccino ... It is not known what Italians are more proud of.
Cappuccino - an espresso coffee drink with the addition of milk whipped in foam. After wine - this is the most famous Italian drink in the world. There are two types of people on the planet: tea lovers and coffee lovers. But sometimes even those who do not like coffee drinks drink cappuccino. It is not only very tasty, but also does not harm those who are not recommended to drink coffee: the fact is that milk partially neutralizes caffeine.
A few curious facts about cappuccino
Italians drink cappuccino strictly until 12 noon. If you see in the Italian cafe or bar the person who ordered the afternoon cappuccino, it is most likely a foreigner. To get the best result when making cappuccino, you must strictly observe the proportions: 25 ml of coffee and 125 ml of milk.
In Italy, there are special courses for learning the technique of "latte art" or "cappuccino art." This is the technique by which cappuccino is decorated with drawings of coffee and milk. Flowers, hearts, leaves, as well as three-dimensional images that are made from milk foam.
Every year, London hosts international barista competitions. They demonstrate their ability to make cappuccino. The Italian barista is usually the winner, but the Japanese Kazuki Yamamoto from Osaka won several times in the Latte Art nomination. In the photo below you can see his work, he is a true master and a fan of his craft.
Gourmet restaurants offer cappuccino with zucchini, mushrooms or pumpkin. There are even cappuccino flavored potato chips.
In England, they staged a play called Cappuccino Girls. It tells about friends who meet over a cup of cappuccino and tell their stories, reflect on life, philosophize. The performance is becoming increasingly popular in different countries of the world.
The largest cappuccino in the world was made in Milan on October 20, 2013. In the preparation of the giant drink was attended by 33 barista from all over Italy. 800 liters of coffee and 3,500 liters of milk were used to make a huge cup of cappuccino. This record was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.
A delicious coffee drink once saved several lives. In northern Italy, a man in a deep crisis began to throw heavy things from the balcony. Sofas, beds, wardrobes flew over the heads of passers-by. The neighbors called the carabinieri, who arrived very quickly, but could not arrest him. He locked himself in his apartment and threatened to shoot law enforcement officers and journalists who arrived at the scene of the incident, and then shoot himself. After 22 hours of persuasion and a promise to treat him with a cup of cappuccino and two bagels of cornetto, he nevertheless surrendered to the authorities. Who knows how this story would end if there wasn’t a proposal coming out of the mouth of the carabinier to go and drink a cup of cappuccino together. Or if this man did not agree to go to a bar with a carabinier, because he had prepared himself a cappuccino at home and had already drunk it.
European cities where the most expensive cappuccino is Copenhagen and Oslo. A cup of drink will cost you 4.50 euros, and you can enjoy the cheapest cappuccino in Barcelona, ​​Prague, Rome and Lisbon - the average price of a cup of drink in these cities is about 80 eurocents. The most delicious Italian cappuccino is prepared in the center of the country.
One of the cappuccino stories
Marco d'Aviano, a monk from the Capuchin order, was exiled by the pope to Vienna. Once he went to a local cafe, where the waiter served him an unusually bitter coffee. The monk asked for milk to “sweeten” the unbearable bitterness of the drink. The waiter watched the monk drink coffee diluted with milk, it was so strange to him that he could not resist and exclaimed: Kapuziner! Of course, in those days the taste of cappuccino was far from what we are happy to drink now. For example, coffee was then brewed in a Turkish cezve, and milk was not whipped into foam.
How to make cappuccino coffee at home?
At first glance it seems that this is a tricky science, and only professional barista is capable of such masterpieces. In fact, this is not so, anyone who wants to can brew a cappuccino in a coffee maker at home. In this article, you will learn how to make cappuccino at home. The taste of your drink will not be worse, or even better than in a cafe.
The best barista of Italy
Every adult Italian knows how to make cappuccino at home, because it is a national drink in Italy. The best barista of Italy, who lives in Palermo, shared the method of preparing this coffee. His name is Giuseppe Mellin, he is also called the “Cappuccino Mage”.
What do you need to make this drink?
Cappuccino coffee can be brewed in three ways: in Turkish cezve - this is exactly the option the capuchins used; in a geyser coffee machine or in a coffee machine.
What ingredients are needed?
How to make a cappuccino in a coffee maker? To do this, prepare the following components for the drink:
- mocha coffee;
- whole milk;
- cocoa powder;
- sugar.
In a Turkish cezve or geyser coffee machine, brew coffee as usual, you do not need to do anything special. With a coffee machine, everything is much simpler: such devices have built-in Panarello nozzles for making cool foam: the nozzle whips milk into foam with air under pressure.
How to beat milk for cappuccino?
You can use an ordinary whisk, a French press, a mini-mixer, a cocktail shaker. The higher the fat content of milk, the thicker the foam will be - this is the main secret.
- Pour milk into steel dishes, put on medium heat.
- At this time, add sugar to taste in already brewed coffee, stir vigorously until coffee foam appears.
- As soon as the milk begins to boil, remove it from the heat and pour into steel dishes. Important: the dishes should be very cold.
- Beat the milk until thick. If you use a whisk or a shaker, you will have to spend a little more time than using a mini-mixer or a French press.
Cocktail shaker
How to make cappuccino coffee? Heat the milk, pour it into the shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
Pour milk and foam slowly into the coffee. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.
Tips
If you or your family members are lactose intolerant, you can make a cappuccino with soy milk. If for some reason you can’t drink caffeine, you can make a cappuccino with decaffeinated coffee.
Baby cappuccino
Pour the whipped milk into a cup and sprinkle with cocoa. Add sugar; kids love sweets. Baby cappuccino is ready. The delicious and aromatic drink that we examined in this article will surely appeal to everyone. It has a pleasant creamy and delicate taste, complemented by the aroma of coffee. And the color of the drink is amazing. It looks appetizing. However, after a hearty dinner, drinking it is not recommended, since it is quite heavy. It is better to drink a mug a couple of hours after a hearty lunch. Baking goes well with cappuccino: bagels with jam, cookies, sweet cottage cheese casseroles. This combination perfectly satisfies hunger.