Cappuccino : Italian Coffee Drink for Breakfast Beverages

Cappuccino is Italian coffee drink topped with foamed milk. It is made in a steam-producing espresso machine. Espresso is poured into the bottom third of the cup, and is followed by a similar amount of hot milk. The top third of the drink consists of firm milk froth prepared a minute or two earlier; this foam is often sculpted to an artistic peaked mound. Shaved chocolate, raw sugar, cinnamon or other spices are often sprinkled onto the top of the finished drink. The cappuccino is then consumed with a teaspoon.

Legend has it that when a vast Ottoman Turk army was marching on Vienna in 1683, Marco d'Aviano was sent by the Pope to unite the outnumbered Christian troops. After a prayer meeting led by d'Aviano, they were spurred to victory. As the Turks fled, legend has it, they left behind sacks of coffee which the Christians found too bitter, so they sweetened it with honey and milk. The drink was called cappuccino after the Capuchin order of monks, to which d'Aviano belonged. Needless to say, there is no mention of cappuccino in any of d'Aviano's biographies or any other contemporary historical source. Indeed, the story did not appear until the late 1980s, indicating that it was probably made up as a joke.

Espresso machines of the type used to make cappuccino were introduced at the beginning of the 20th century when Luigi Bezzera of Milan filed the first patent in 1901. Cappuccino was developed in Italy by the early 1900s, and grew in popularity as the large espresso machines in cafés and restaurants were improved during and after World War II, specifically with the introduction of the modern, high-pressure espresso machine by Italian company Gaggia in 1948. The beverage had developed into its current form by the 1950s.

In Italy the cappuccino is seen as a morning drink and is rarely drunk after 11am. In the United Kingdom, espresso coffee initially gained popularity in the form of the cappuccino, due to the British custom of drinking coffee with milk, the desire for a longer drink so the café may serve as a destination, and the exotic texture of the beverage.

Besides a shot of espresso, the most important factor in preparing a cappuccino is the texture and temperature of the milk. When a barista steams the milk for a cappuccino, microfoam is created by introducing very tiny bubbles of air into the milk, giving the milk a velvety texture. The traditional cappuccino consists of an espresso, on which the barista pours the hot foamed milk, resulting in a 2 cm (¾ inch) thick milk foam on top. Variations of the mixtures are usually called cappuccino chiaro (white cappuccino, also known as a wet cappuccino) with more milk than normal, and cappuccino scuro (dark cappuccino, also known as a dry cappuccino) with less steamed milk than normal.

Attaining the correct ratio of foam requires close attention while steaming the milk, thus making the cappuccino one of the most difficult espresso-based beverages to make properly. A skilled barista may obtain artistic shapes while pouring the milk on the top of the espresso coffee.

Cappuccino was traditionally a taste largely appreciated in Europe, Australia, South Africa, South America and some of North America. By the mid-1990s cappuccino was made much more widely available to North Americans, as upscale coffee houses sprang up.

In Italy, and throughout continental Europe, cappuccino was traditionally consumed early in the day as part of the breakfast, with some kind of sweet pastry. Generally, Europeans did not drink cappuccino with meals other than breakfast, preferring espresso throughout the day and following dinner. However, in recent years Europeans have started to drink cappuccino throughout the entire day. Especially in western-Europe (The UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium) cappuccino is popular at cafés and terraces during the afternoon and in restaurants after dinner. In the United States, cappuccinos have become popular concurrent with the boom in the American coffee industry through the late 1990s and early 2000s, especially in the urban Pacific Northwest. [source : Cappuccino]