The Essentials listed here are in no particular order, and more could probably be added .... Pasta, gelato, pizza, spaghetti vongole ... many more things! Various things appeal on different days ... sometimes it's coffee, sometimes hot chocolate and even sometimes either of the aforementioned with a cornetto, sometimes chocolate filled ...
Healthy - No! ..... Does it replace breakfast - No! ..... Does it taste good? Well .... yes!
Healthy - No! ..... Does it replace breakfast - No! ..... Does it taste good? Well .... yes!
COFFEE
Ordering coffee in Italy can be a bit confusing. It’s not like what you’d expect in Australia, the UK or the US.
Flat white? Think again. Latte? …. great if you want milk. Beware also the ‘false friends’ … “calda/caldo” sounds like “cold”, but it actually means “hot” in Italian; “fredda/freddo” on the other hand, means “cold”, and “latte” means “milk”, not coffee ….
Caffè
Caffè' is 'coffee' in Italian, but not filtered coffee, rather the stronger 'espresso'.
Espresso
This is coffee brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans.
The resulting fluid is generally thicker than coffee brewed by other methods and has a higher concentration of suspended and dissolved solids. This means the flavours and chemicals in a typical cup of espresso are very concentrated.
Espresso has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages, although the actual caffeine content of any coffee drink varies by size, bean origin, roast method and other factors.
Espresso is also the base for other drinks such as caffè Americano, caffè macchiato, caffè corretto, caffè latte and cappuccino.
Caffè Americano
This is more like filter coffee. It is espresso with hot water added.
Caffè Macchiato
This means 'marked' or 'stained' and is an espresso with a dash/mark of hot, foamy milk on top. It is a significantly shorter drink and consists of espresso with only a small amount of milk.
Caffè Corretto
This 'corrected' coffee is served with a drop of liquor, usually cognac, grappa or Sambuca, or as you prefer. Most serve a caffè corretto simply by adding a few drops of the desired liquor into an espresso shot; however in some cases the liquor is served in a shot glass alongside the coffee allowing the customer to pour the quantity they desire.
Caffè Latte
This is espresso with hot milk, just like a latte in Australia, the UK and the US. Caffè latte is often served in a large glass. Great for the look of it but not always easy to handle.
As mentioned, be careful to stress the 'caffè' part, because 'latte' just means 'milk'. If you only want a mug of white milk, you’ll be fine.
Be aware too that caffè latte is not a common drink in Italy, though in tourist areas this shouldn't be a problem.
Cappuccino
This is a popular Italian coffee style, traditionally prepared with espresso, hot milk and steamed milk foam. Be aware though that cappuccinos should not be ordered after mid-day, they can only be had in the morning, and you’ll get very funny looks if you do.
In modern-day Italy it is believed that the consumption of dairy products upsets digestion, so cappuccino is consumed only up to 11 a.m., and Italians consider it very "strange" to ask for a cappuccino after that hour. If the beverage is requested in the evening, although not common, it should only be consumed after dessert, as the final part of the meal.
My Usual Order
In Australia I favour my coffee slightly 'watered down' [with milk] as I drink it for the social aspect, rather than for any buzz it may or may not provide. That means I can drink two cups per day without the headaches that may [or may not] eventuate.
In Italy my order [very] roughly translates as:
"Vorrei un grande caffè latte metà forza con uno zucchero .... e senza schiuma ... e in una tazza, non un bicchiere ... per favore".
"I would like a large caffè latte [I haven't found a 'flat white' in Italy] half-strength* with one sugar, without foam [to get it back to a sort-of flat white] in a cup please, not a glass ... please".
Too fussy? Too particular?? Perhaps my order is so far from the norm that the barista stops paying attention half-way through ... probably that accounts for the variety of coffees I get when in Italy, even when placing the same order at the same place on the following days!
* 'Half-strength' is, for me, far more descriptive than 'weak'. What is 'weak' anyway? 10%?, a single-shot as opposed to a triple shot? 25%?
Flat white? Think again. Latte? …. great if you want milk. Beware also the ‘false friends’ … “calda/caldo” sounds like “cold”, but it actually means “hot” in Italian; “fredda/freddo” on the other hand, means “cold”, and “latte” means “milk”, not coffee ….
Caffè
Caffè' is 'coffee' in Italian, but not filtered coffee, rather the stronger 'espresso'.
Espresso
This is coffee brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans.
The resulting fluid is generally thicker than coffee brewed by other methods and has a higher concentration of suspended and dissolved solids. This means the flavours and chemicals in a typical cup of espresso are very concentrated.
Espresso has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages, although the actual caffeine content of any coffee drink varies by size, bean origin, roast method and other factors.
Espresso is also the base for other drinks such as caffè Americano, caffè macchiato, caffè corretto, caffè latte and cappuccino.
Caffè Americano
This is more like filter coffee. It is espresso with hot water added.
Caffè Macchiato
This means 'marked' or 'stained' and is an espresso with a dash/mark of hot, foamy milk on top. It is a significantly shorter drink and consists of espresso with only a small amount of milk.
Caffè Corretto
This 'corrected' coffee is served with a drop of liquor, usually cognac, grappa or Sambuca, or as you prefer. Most serve a caffè corretto simply by adding a few drops of the desired liquor into an espresso shot; however in some cases the liquor is served in a shot glass alongside the coffee allowing the customer to pour the quantity they desire.
Caffè Latte
This is espresso with hot milk, just like a latte in Australia, the UK and the US. Caffè latte is often served in a large glass. Great for the look of it but not always easy to handle.
As mentioned, be careful to stress the 'caffè' part, because 'latte' just means 'milk'. If you only want a mug of white milk, you’ll be fine.
Be aware too that caffè latte is not a common drink in Italy, though in tourist areas this shouldn't be a problem.
Cappuccino
This is a popular Italian coffee style, traditionally prepared with espresso, hot milk and steamed milk foam. Be aware though that cappuccinos should not be ordered after mid-day, they can only be had in the morning, and you’ll get very funny looks if you do.
In modern-day Italy it is believed that the consumption of dairy products upsets digestion, so cappuccino is consumed only up to 11 a.m., and Italians consider it very "strange" to ask for a cappuccino after that hour. If the beverage is requested in the evening, although not common, it should only be consumed after dessert, as the final part of the meal.
My Usual Order
In Australia I favour my coffee slightly 'watered down' [with milk] as I drink it for the social aspect, rather than for any buzz it may or may not provide. That means I can drink two cups per day without the headaches that may [or may not] eventuate.
In Italy my order [very] roughly translates as:
"Vorrei un grande caffè latte metà forza con uno zucchero .... e senza schiuma ... e in una tazza, non un bicchiere ... per favore".
"I would like a large caffè latte [I haven't found a 'flat white' in Italy] half-strength* with one sugar, without foam [to get it back to a sort-of flat white] in a cup please, not a glass ... please".
Too fussy? Too particular?? Perhaps my order is so far from the norm that the barista stops paying attention half-way through ... probably that accounts for the variety of coffees I get when in Italy, even when placing the same order at the same place on the following days!
* 'Half-strength' is, for me, far more descriptive than 'weak'. What is 'weak' anyway? 10%?, a single-shot as opposed to a triple shot? 25%?
CORNETTO/CORNETTI
The 'accompaniment', a 'cornetto' [little horn] is actually not a croissant [French for 'crescent']. It is also not an ice-cream cone. It’s best described as an Italian relative of the croissant, probably with similar origins, but even though they look similar, they are a little different.
A cornetto isn’t as 'laminated' and the dough also contains more sugar. The pastry is a lot sweeter than a French croissant, and can probably a bit more like a French brioche, and sometimes is called as such in Italy. They can also be very light and flaky.
The cornetto semplice [simple cornetto] is also known as the cornetto vuoto ['empty'], as opposed to the various types of cornetti ripieni ['filled']. These include cornetto alla crema [custard], alla marmellata [jam or marmalade], al miele [with honey] and cornetto al cioccolato. The latter is actually a cornetto filled with Nutella.
Nutella is the brand name of an Italian sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero, It was introduced to the market in 1964. The main ingredients of Nutella are sugar and palm oil, followed by hazelnut, cocoa solids and skimmed milk. Ferrero consumes 25 percent of the global supply of hazelnuts.
[Thanks to wikipedia for this last par.]
A cornetto isn’t as 'laminated' and the dough also contains more sugar. The pastry is a lot sweeter than a French croissant, and can probably a bit more like a French brioche, and sometimes is called as such in Italy. They can also be very light and flaky.
The cornetto semplice [simple cornetto] is also known as the cornetto vuoto ['empty'], as opposed to the various types of cornetti ripieni ['filled']. These include cornetto alla crema [custard], alla marmellata [jam or marmalade], al miele [with honey] and cornetto al cioccolato. The latter is actually a cornetto filled with Nutella.
Nutella is the brand name of an Italian sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero, It was introduced to the market in 1964. The main ingredients of Nutella are sugar and palm oil, followed by hazelnut, cocoa solids and skimmed milk. Ferrero consumes 25 percent of the global supply of hazelnuts.
[Thanks to wikipedia for this last par.]
Cioccolata Calda [Hot Chocolate]
Before ...
After ...The bottom of the cup,
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Enjoy a glass of cicciolata calda on Piazza San Marco, just watching the world go by. It's best taken early in the morning before the tourists, and the pigeons, descend.
There is often a beautiful light as the shadows shorten and the buildings are brightened by the rising sun. The early sweeping in the piazza ceases and the chairs are placed in orderly rows, ready for the day's madness. The calm before the storm! Hot chocolate in Italy is inevitably thick and most often requires a spoon to get those last remaining dregs that stick to the bottom of the glass - tilting and licking the inside of the glass can be very undignified. Often the chocolate is so thick a spoon [cucchiaino - a great word!] is mandatory and will stand upright if placed in the cup or glass. A distinction is sometimes made between 'hot cocoa' that is made from powder by removing most of the rich cocoa butter from the ground cacao beans, and 'hot chocolate' made from slabs of chocolate that already contain cocoa, sugar, and cocoa butter. The major difference between the two then is the cocoa butter, the lack of which [apparently] makes hot cocoa significantly lower in fat than hot chocolate but still preserves all of the antioxidants found in chocolate. [!! Perhaps hot cocoa is the healthier alternative but I know which I prefer, avero!] |
Aperol Spritz
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Standard Aperol Spritz Recipe
3 parts Prosecco 2 parts Aperol 1 splash soda Serve with on the rocks in wine glass or rocks glass Garnish with a slice of orange |
Aperol is a drink frequently enjoyed in Venezia. It was originally created almost 100 years ago. Although Aperol tastes and smells much like Campari the alcohol content [11%] is less than half that of Campari, though they do have a similar sugar content.
Aperol is milder and less bitter than Campari and is much lighter in color. The Spritz, an aperitif cocktail, is often made using Aperol, then known as an Aperol Spritz.
It various bars it is possible to get added Campari instead of, the standard Aperol ... for me it's a bit astringent but it does come highly recommended by fellow students. I think it's one of those 'acquired tastes', something that must be worked on!
Aperol is milder and less bitter than Campari and is much lighter in color. The Spritz, an aperitif cocktail, is often made using Aperol, then known as an Aperol Spritz.
It various bars it is possible to get added Campari instead of, the standard Aperol ... for me it's a bit astringent but it does come highly recommended by fellow students. I think it's one of those 'acquired tastes', something that must be worked on!
