A to Z of an Italian coffee menu…
All about sophisticated coffee lingo…
I’ve been a Londoner for 10+ years, but thanks to my frequent trips home I keep up to date with trends in Italy, even culinary ones. At least that’s what I thought…
…until some time ago I spent four months in Milan. My stay was over the summer.
It was warm, sticky and the smell of fruit displayed in the local street market pervaded the air. There was lots of peach and dark chocolate ice-cream involved. I’d go for lunch in one of the local restaurants in the quarter of Isola, which translates to “island” (once a working-class area and today a vibrant and creative part of the city), and enjoy a three-course meal with a glass of house wine for about €10!
One day, after lunch, I stopped at a café. I needed a caffeine injection, as the suffocating heat had drained away my energy. The waiter handed me a menu; I wondered why. Then, I started reading and soon realized that, yes, a menu was needed. I asked him for enlightenment on one or two items that sounded more inviting, but I didn’t dare to ask more. Maybe because, in true Italian style, he was starting to look “agitated”.
So, I went for a more reassuring macchiato and remembered how nice
and simple life was when I was growing up. Back then, you could only get a caffè, ristretto, macchiato or corretto; everywhere, from north to south, no confusion, nice and easy. Once home, as professional curiosity demands, I threw myself into some research.
With my findings, I’ve compiled an A to Z of coffee menu, if you ever find yourself coffee-clueless in Italy:
- Bicerin – literally “small glass” in Turin dialect, as it comes from that area. Coffee, cream and thick Italian style hot chocolate – it can’t get any yummier
- Caffè – espresso
- Caffè americano – American style
- Caffè corretto – coffee with a shot of liquor, usually grappa but also Sambuca or other liquors. Literally translated to “corrected”
- Caffè d’orzo – barley coffee
- Caffè decaffeinato – a decaf
- Caffè doppio – literally “double”
- Caffè macchiato – with a drop of milk, literally “stained” or “spotted”. The coffee can be “macchiato freddo” (with cold milk) or “macchiato caldo” (with hot milk)
- Caffè ristretto – a very short shot of coffee, literally translated to “reduced” coffee
- Cappuccino – it’s universal
- Decaffeinato – a decaf
- Latte macchiato – tricky one! This is more or less the equivalent of a “Latte”. It’s milk “stained” or “spotted” with coffee. We also have “caffelatte”, which is more likely to be prepared at home rather than ordered in a café. I wonder whether latte macchiato is just a posh way of calling a caffelatte…
- Marocchino – literally “Moroccan” made with espresso, hot chocolate or Nutella, hot milk and cocoa powder. The name comes from a shade of brown rather than the country
- Mocaccino – coffee, milk and cocoa. The name combines mocha and cappuccino
- Shakerato – Italianized version of the English word “shake”, iced coffee in a shaker
Any beverage that has “con panna” attached to it is served with whipped cream.
With so much coffee to choose from, no wonder Italians are edgy!
