Cappuccino

The definition of cappuccino

The cappuccino in a coffee-based drink that is made with espresso coffee and hot milk, the top covered with delicate milk foam. Cappuccino is most often prepared with an espresso machine, which is heated to about 70 °C temperature and is under a pressure of 0.7 to 1.0 atmospheres.

The espresso beverages give the lower third of the beverage’s volume, this is followed by a similar amount of creamy hot milk, which is prepared by the vapor of the espresso machine. The upper third of the drink (minimum 1 cm of thickness) is covered by the foam made during the steaming, which may be ornamented with a variety of forms, cocoa, or chocolate fillings if requested by the guest.

The amount in the case of traditional cappuccino (European version) is between 150-180 ml (which includes the espresso, the milk, and the final foam as well). This amount is much bigger in the USA (360 ml).

The story of Cappuccino

The cappuccino is named after the color of the hood of the Capuchin monks (Cappuccio means ‘hood’ in Italian), or perhaps the aspect of their tonsure (a circle of white skin surrounded by a ring of brown hair). According to the legend, after the Battle of Vienna in 1683, the Viennese coffee was prepared by using abandoned sacks of the Turks and, to soften its strong flavor, cream and honey were added, obtaining a similar hood as the cappuccinos.

The drink has always been known by its Italian name because the espresso machine used for its preparation is an Italian invention, the patent of Luigi Bezzera from 1901. Cappuccino spread throughout Europe, becoming popular and acquiring its final form in 1950.